


Royally Off-track

by JasonIsADove



Category: Persona 5, Persona 5 Royal
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Joker joins later than in canon, Let Sakamoto Ryuji Say Fuck, No Current Romance Planned (Yet), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:41:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 28,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24252229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JasonIsADove/pseuds/JasonIsADove
Summary: All Ren Amamiya wanted to do was to live a normal life in Tokyo while on probation, and (hopefully) avoid any conflict or going insane. The rumors about him are expected, though that doesn't make them any less annoying. The whole incident(?) with The Phantom Thieves of Hearts is none of his business. The man haunting his dreams inside of a prison is just a persistent nightmare. But why is it that something seems to happen to him everywhere he goes, though no fault of his own?Based on "Offset" by BrassGrasshttps://archiveofourown.org/works/14799713/chapters/34240781
Relationships: Amamiya Ren & Akechi Goro, Amamiya Ren & Maruki Takuto, Amamiya Ren & Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Amamiya Ren & Sakura Futaba, Amamiya Ren & Sakura Sojiro
Comments: 32
Kudos: 141





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Offset](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14799713) by [BrassGrass](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrassGrass/pseuds/BrassGrass). 



> Thank you for choosing to read this! As stated above, this fic is based off of Offset by BrassGrass. I love the idea of Joker joining later than in canon, but unfortunately there aren't many fics that focus on this topic, with the only ones I've seen being Offset (obviously), and "When The Cat Dragged In The Trickster" by Raaj, both of which are nice fics to read.
> 
> I was finally inspired enough to write this when I found this fic, https://archiveofourown.org/works/24149428, which was posted by an anonymous user who had the same mindset. (If you're reading this by the way, hi!)
> 
> Even though this will have a similar approach to how Offset handles things in this universe, I will obviously put my own spin on it to avoid plagiarizing it, and also focus on some Royal aspects of the game.
> 
> Any and all suggestions, comments, questions, concerns, etc are all welcome in the comments, so feel free to say/ask anything (except for spoilers, obviusly =D )

People always say that first impressions are important.

Well, if Ren Amamiya's first impression of Tokyo was anything to go off of, it didn't look like things would turn out as well as he'd hoped. For one, the subway system was a complete nightmare to navigate. At least he had directions given to him beforehand. Otherwise, Ren would've gotten lost ages ago. Another thing, Ren noticed, was the feeling that Tokyo gave off. Maybe it was just him not being used to a big city lifestyle, which wasn't untrue at all, but it gave off this aura of people being rushed constantly, which stressed him out a little if he was being honest. Lastly, the rumors he'd heard, while a bit hard to believe, did put him slightly on edge. People suddenly going psychotic or flat out "shutting down" out of nowhere wasn't a pleasant thought to imagine.

Ok, things are starting out kinda bumpy, but hopefully, things would get better, right? Oh, who was he kidding? This was going to be the worst year of his life. While this whole situation was infinitely better than any juvenile detention center, the thought of basically being exiled from his hometown didn't leave him with much faith, not that he had much left after that night...

_**"Damn brat! I'll sue!"** _

Even minor thoughts about that encounter just infuriated him. That drunk politician didn't even think twice before deciding to ruin a kid's entire life because he fell, and that... _Bitch_ totally caved after one stupid threat and lied to the police! As much as Ren tells himself that he doesn't blame the woman for not standing up for herself out of fear, the fact that she willingly lied to the police just to protect herself, AND did it knowing full well that she was about to throw some random kid under the bus didn't exactly put her in the best spotlight in Ren's eyes.

After finally making it to Yongen-Jaya, Ren found his way to a backstreet cafe named Leblanc after a delivery man told him that Sojiro Sakura, his new temporary guardian, was likely still working. Even if it was a small thing, it was the first act of kindness since he arrived in Tokyo in Ren's eyes, and it almost gave him hope that staying here wouldn't be a total nightmare. That small feeling of hope was short-lived, however, when it came to actually meeting Sojiro himself.

From the get-go, Sojiro made it very clear that Ren was not to cause any trouble while under his care, and subsequently shoved him up in the attic of Leblanc to get his things together after lecturing him about how he shouldn't have gotten involved in a matter between two adults. A little harsh, but Ren could at least understand Sojiro's reasoning to an extent. The attic part though? That one had Ren confused, but he didn't think he was in any situation to question it. Oh well. Add it to the list of oddities he'd already experienced in the not-even-24 hours he's been in Tokyo.

* * *

Fast forward to his first day of school, Ren knew it was going to be total hell after the introduction to his homeroom teacher and absolute gem of a principal, both of which had clearly written him off as a trouble-making delinquent that did god-knows-what when people weren't looking. It didn't help his mood when Sojiro essentially backhanded him when he asked Ren if was 'actually going to school', as if skipping was even an option. The curry he was served for breakfast was delicious, but it still would've been much better-received without the snide remarks and attitude of disdain towards him.

The train ride to school was the same experience as yesterday; completely cramped and crowded. While on the train, Ren noticed a girl with red hair in a long ponytail attempt to give her seat to an old lady, only for that to backfire when a businessman stole the opportunity before the old lady could respond. _"Dick"_ , Ren thought to himself. Despite her failure, the girl still remained positive and instead offered to hold the woman's things for her. _"How optimistic."_ Ren willingly admitted to himself that he was jealous of that. After everything he'd been through, he just couldn't find many reasons to feel optimism anymore.

His arrival at school was just about what he predicted. There were already rumors about him, and nobody wanted anything to do with him. Not that he'd planned on interacting much with his classmates anyways. Even the teachers didn't seem to approve of his presence, especially Ushimaru, who made it clear that he would keep a close eye on Ren. But the one teacher that seemed to absolutely despise his presence there was the gym teacher, Kamoshida. Ren didn't know why, but this man gave him mild anxiety anytime he saw him, even just glanced at him walking in the hallways.

* * *

Two weeks later, and Ren had all but grown apathetic to all the rumors about him, as sad as it was to say. While he got questions right in class, it was still a pain when teachers obviously thought they would finally catch him off guard with seemingly random questions. At least it got a reaction out of people that wasn't them calling him a total psycho.

If anything, Ren was sadly impressed at how far people were willing to go to make a rumor to slander him with. The way he walked with his hands in his pockets obviously meant he was concealing either a weapon or his secret stash of drugs; his quiet demeanor was all an act so he could lure people in and stab them in the back - literally; the way Kamoshida glared at him while he was just minding his own business obviously meant that Ren had gone out of his way to mess with him; hell, buying a drink at the vending machine was obviously a ploy for him to smuggle alcohol into school grounds. That one got a chuckle out of him, even if it was humorless.

Ren made it a habit to leave school as soon as the final bell rang for the sole purpose of not being at school any longer than he had to. Nobody talked to him at lunch, the library was a room full of gossip, teachers clearly didn't want anything to do with him, etc.

It was all so, *so* annoying to deal with and he was slowly but surely running out of patience.

After school wasn't much better, given that he had nowhere to go. Ren didn't want to go back to Leblanc immediately and risk getting chewed out by Sojiro, and he doubted he'd be able to find any part-time work anytime soon. Seeing how everyone at Shujin watched his every move, he wondered if people would just follow him to work with the sole intent of spreading rumors and getting him fired, and he wasn't willing to take that risk, even if it did seem a little far-fetched. Eventually, though, he applied for a job at a flower shot named Rafflesia. To Ren's surprise, it was a nice change of atmosphere, and Hanasaki-san's kindness made Ren feel welcome for a change. From that point on, he made it a habit to come in as often as possible after school ended.

Ren also took to wandering around Shibuya, looking for other potentially quiet places outside of Rafflesia to just sit down and relax for a bit. The only place he found that seemed like a good place was the diner, but it was closed until May. Of course it was...

Everything else eventually just seemed to blend together into one big, boring, monotonous blur that found new ways to test his patience.

* * *

Things seemed to stay that way until one day in school...

"Hey, what's that?!" it was in the middle of Ushimaru's class when a student shouted at something he saw out the window. "Wait, she's going to jump!" That's when a wave of panic flowed through everyone. A girl, Shiho Suzui, attempted to end her life seemingly out of the blue. The rest of that day passed by quickly, with everything being hazy due to the shock of what happened, but he does vaguely remember a blonde-haired boy cornering another boy that had dark, blueish black hair. The next thing he knew, the day was over.

The next day there were rumors about two students being expelled on top of what had happened the day prior. Ren didn't know what to think, especially when his homeroom teacher called him into the guidance office to talk about things that happened. _"Lovely"_ , Ren thought to himself. When they arrived, they ran into the red-haired girl and Kamoshida.

"Oh hello there!" She said with her usual cheeriness and optimism.

"Careful now, Yoshizawa. Remember that conversation we just had? About the list of students you shouldn't get involved with? This one's at the top of the list." Kamoshida's tone fell towards the last bit of that statement, his resentment towards Ren completely obvious. Kawakami seemed to have noticed this as well.

"Oh! The delinquent transfer student?" The girl, Yoshizawa, said without thinking. Ren felt a genuine pang of disappointment when he heard her reaction. After that, Ren and Kawakami entered the room.

"I'll be blunt. What happened between you and Mr. Kamoshida?" Ms. Kawakami asked, obviously too tired to be dealing with this.

"I didn't do anything. I've just been trying to keep my head down, and not get involved with anything. But ever since I got here, Kamoshida's been giving me this death glare every time he sees me, no matter what I'm doing. I guess some students took notice of it and started up more rumors." Ren's already thin patience was running thinner with everyone just assuming that he was involved because of some stupid rumor. But it wasn't like he could do anything about it, so he tried, keyword: tried, to keep his cool. Kawakami seemed to have noticed this.

"You do realize the situation you're in, right? You were given fair warning on your first day, and now rumors are going around that you started something with Mr. Kamoshida not even a month later..." She sighed again. "I'm just letting you know what would happen if you did get yourself involved with something you shouldn't."

"I don't know what to tell you other than the students love to make rumors over literally anything I do. Seriously, you'd be surprised at half the things I hear on a daily basis." The look on his face must have been one of someone who was genuinely done with the world, as Kawakami's expression changed for a second, almost as if in sympathy. Almost.

"..." After a minute's silence, Kawakami decided that they were done and both walked out of the room. She seemed to have believed him for the time being, but Ren couldn't bring himself to care whether she did or not. This was just one more thing weighing down on his ever thin patience. On that note, he decided to just head back to Leblanc so he could just lay down and clear his head.

* * *

Life at Leblanc was simple. Most days, Ren would go upstairs, finish homework or whatever, eat dinner (with Sojiro reminding him to keep out of trouble), then go to bed. It wasn't until today that Sojiro finally decided that Ren wasn't planning on doing anything stupid and decided to teach him to brew coffee. It was actually nice, Ren thought, to interact with Sojiro without him getting on his case. Especially after everything that had happened today. Even better, Sojiro gave him the okay to explore around Yongen-Jaya at night. He primarily planned on using this opportunity to visit the bathhouse, but it was nice to be able to explore around. It was Ren's first genuinely nice night in Yongen-Jaya, and he treasured it.

Finally not in a too-sour mood to do it, Ren decided to clean his room a bit more. While clearing off the desk, he found some discarded ear-buds. They didn't work, which was unfortunate, but maybe if he wore them, he could act as if he didn't hear any of the things his classmates said about him a little better, which would hopefully cause students to see they wouldn't get a reaction out of him anymore and leave him alone. It was worth a shot.

The gods of mercy seemed to follow him to school as well, as rumors about Ren seemed to calm down over the next week, which he was more than thankful for. The rumors instead focused more on the two students supposedly getting expelled - the blonde-haired boy he'd seen, apparently named Sakamoto, and a boy named Mishima, a former member of the volleyball team. The 'former' part caught Ren's attention, but he didn't think much of it. It wasn't any of his business and he didn't want any more drama, especially after things finally seemed to calm down. He just put in his earbuds and pretended like the world didn't matter.

But it seems that Shujin Academy just never fails to pull its punches. One day, as Ren was walking into school, he noticed a large group gathered around a wall of corkboards. A quick inspection revealed the reason the students were so captivated. Tons of cards labeled "Take Your Heart" with a weird logo and some text on it were plastered all over the place.

"Sir Suguru Kamoshida, the utter bastard of lust" he heard a girl begin to read a card out loud. it was the blonde girl that sits in front of him - Takamaki. "We know how shitty you are, and that you put your twisted desires onto those that can't fight back. That's why we have decided to steal away those desires and make you confess your sins. This will be done tomorrow, so we hope you will be ready. From, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts. Wow..." And he couldn't help but agree with her reaction. This whole thing seemed like something out of a manga. Phantom Thieves? Stealing desires? A calling card?

Ren tried to process all this through his head as he watched Takamaki make her way over to Sakamoto, with a cat in her bag...? He did a double-take to confirm that the creature in her bag was indeed not a stuffed animal or a figment of his imagination, but a real, living cat.

"Not bad, eh? I looked up a buncha similar stuff online for reference" Sakamoto said, a little louder than he probably should have, but nobody seemed to notice apart from Ren.

"Umm... Yeah... I know what you *wanted* to say, but it sounded like an idiot trying to be an adult." Takamaki responded. _"Guess that answers the question of who put these up."_ Ren thought to himself, as he then heard the cat in Takamaki's bag meow a couple of times, further emphasizing that it was indeed a real cat.

"You know what? Th-that ain't true!" Sakamoto seemed to say back to the cat...?

 _"Oh, whatever... This whole thing is just ridiculous..."_ Ren thought as he tiredly began to walk away from the scene and to his classroom. He stopped when he heard a man's voice suddenly shout.

"Who's responsible for this?!" Ren looked back, seeing that it was Kamoshida, and it didn't look like he was too happy. "Was it you?! Or was it you?!" He kept yelling at random students in a fit. Either Ren was crazy, or in that moment Kamoshida's eyed flashed yellow for a moment. He didn't want to stick around to question it.

As Ren was turning around to once again head for his classroom, he couldn't help but notice a girl with brown hair and red eyes giving him a bit of a weird look. They made eye contact, with her gaze not faltering, but Ren couldn't care less at this point. He still had very little patience and he really didn't want to test how much it would take to make him snap. So instead of saying anything, Ren just raised an eyebrow and played it off as if he didn't care and walked to his classroom.

The only other noteworthy thing about that day in Ren's opinion was that the cat he saw in Takamaki's bag was now lingering in her desk. Weird, but once again Ren couldn't bring himself to care. He watched the feline for about 5 seconds when the cat made eye contact with him. It mewed, causing Ren to raise an eyebrow, but by the time Takamaki turned to look back at him he'd already gone back to staring out the window, waiting for the day to be over. Nothing else caught his eye that day.

* * *

The next day, the entire school was called into a meeting in the gym, likely it was about the incident that happened a week prior. He saw it coming. What nobody saw coming, however, was that Kamoshida had entered the gym, went on stage, and confessed to a whole list of crimes he supposedly committed. Apparently he abused his male volleyball players, sexually harassed his female players, and that he was the reason that Shiho Suzui tried to commit suicide. It was all so surreal, and once again, Ren couldn't process all this at once.

He found himself walking to the courtyard, over towards the vending machines. He realized that he sub-consciously put his earbuds in at some point along the way. It didn't matter.

"Aw man, he confessed to everything! You weren't kidding about changing his heart!"

Ren heard a boy's voice as he was nearing the corner. It was Sakamoto, loud as ever. Whatever. He pretended he didn't hear anything. As he passed by them, he heard Takamaki's cat meow, and Takamaki hissed something at Sakamoto. Again, he just pretended to hear nothing.

It wasn't until Ren felt a presence close in on him that he turned to look over at them, only to see that Sakamoto had gotten a little too close to him. Instinctively, Ren jumped back and took a defensive stance. "Can I help you?" he asked Sakamoto, impatiently removing an earbud, acting as if he hadn't heard anything.

"You weren't eavesdroppin' on us were you?" Sakamoto said back. Ren just gave him an incredulous look, while gesturing to his earbuds.

"What reason would I have for eavesdropping on what other people say?" They both gave him a questioning look. "I don't know if you've noticed, but people still haven't exactly accepted my transfer here, and I'm sick and tired of listening to people talk shit about me every second of the day." Ren continued, yet again starting to lose his patience. "So no, I was *not* eavesdropping on your little... whatever is going on here, I was a little busy trying to block out the world. Can you back up by the way? I don't like people invading my personal space." That last bit came out a bit more violent sounding than he intended, but in the moment Ren couldn't bring himself to care. Yet again, people were just getting on his case because he's the transfer student with a criminal record.

Sakamoto backed up, taken aback at his reaction. Ren decided it would be better to just finish getting his drink and leave rather than continue talking, so that's what he did. He only stopped for a moment when he noticed the girl with brown hair from before around the corner, apparently listening in to Takamaki and Sakamoto's conversation and glaring at him as he walked by. Ren just gave her an unamused look, rolled his eyes, and continued on his way.

It wasn't any of his business. Whatever happens, happens, and it doesn't concern him in any way, shape, or form whatsoever. At least, that what Ren wanted to think. One month down, god knows how much longer left.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really glad that you guys like this so far! Not even joking, I nearly spat out my coffee when I saw how many people had read it/left kudos on just the first day! I appreciate your support! <3
> 
> I also edited the previous chapter a bit. Nothing much, but there were some bits and pieces that I accidentally left in from one of the previous drafts. Whoopsies!

In a stroke of luck, the diner in Shibuya finally re-opened, and Ren was more than happy to go there after school and allow things to slow down. He knew this couldn't be an everyday thing, though, because he still didn't have a part-time job, and Sojiro wasn't giving him an allowance. The diner wasn't expensive by any means, but it still wasn't wise to go there on a daily basis and blow money that he probably didn't have. 

While Ren was studying, he couldn't help but think back to the conversation he'd walked in on Takamaki and Sakamoto having the other day. 'The Phantom Thieves of Hearts'. The conversation he'd heard all but confirmed that it was their doing. What they actually did, though, was far beyond him. Oh well. Not like it mattered anyway. On the bright side, Ren had one less obstacle in his way of trying (and failing miserably through no fault of his own) to just live as normal a life as possible.

When he checked the time on his phone, Ren realized that he'd stayed there a little longer than he'd intended, so he started to pack up his things and head back to Leblanc for the night. On his way out, however, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. It was the same brown-haired girl with red eyes. She kept going back and forth from the (upside down) manga she was 'reading', and watching him. Three times within the span of a few days was way too obvious. She was following him for sure. 

_"Yet again, trouble finds its way to me"_ , Ren thought to himself in an annoyed tone. Whatever. He just pretended not to notice her (it would've taken an idiot to not have seen her; other people seemed to have noticed what she was doing as well), and then went on his way.

* * *

The next day was the same as every other day, up until class ended. For once, Ren didn't immediately bolt out the door when the final bell rang. Instead, he just sat there, zoned out while he tried to think of ways to get rid of his stalker. That's when the boy with the bluish-black hair, apparently this was Mishima, came up to him.

"Umm... Hey there, Amamiya. Do you think we could talk for a minute...?" His tone and expression were both awkward, to say the least.

"Uhh... sure?" Ren didn't see why not, but it was still random. And just his luck, people were already watching the interaction. _"What a pain..."_ He internally groaned to himself. "Let's go somewhere people won't listen in."

"O-okay..." Mishima looked even more anxious than before.

Both of them found themselves in front of the door that led to the roof. Hopefully, people wouldn't follow them up here.

"Okay, what did you want?" Ren asked, trying to be polite.

"..." Mishima still looked extremely anxious, almost afraid.

"If you're scared about whether or not I'm going to suddenly attack you or something, you don't need to worry. Even if I wanted to, which I don't, it would be very obvious I did something if you suddenly had a bruise or something. With that out of the way, what did you need, kid?" Did he seriously just say that? Kid? Lovely, now he really does sound like a delinquent.

Mishima's expression did change slightly, though Ren couldn't tell if it was because he was relieved or even more afraid than before. 

"I-I'm sorry!" He suddenly shouted, bent forwards as he apologized.

"For...?" Ren was more than a little taken aback by his sudden outburst.

"I-It was me...! I was the one who leaked your criminal record!" Mishima looked like he was about to cry. "I feel awful for what I did, but I promise I didn't do it intentionally! Actually... no, that's probably just an excuse... Either way, I couldn't hold it in any longer. I don't know how, but I want to make it up to you if I can." Mishima never looked up throughout this. 

Ren didn't know how to respond, the shock of this being revealed left him speechless. So instead of trying to process this information all at once, he just took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

When Mishima looked up, he saw Ren's new stance, and it looked like he was forcing himself to keep calm. And he was. Just hearing someone admit that they used him as a scapegoat in place of themself brought back the memories of that woman who lied to the police.

"A-again, I really am sorry, for everything! If there's anything I can do, then tell me! I'll make it up to you I swear!"

Having heard enough, Ren put his hand up, signaling to Mishima to quiet down a sec. As much as he wanted to be mad in this situation, he forced himself to keep calm and think this through. He didn't want any more unnecessary rumors.

"If I had to guess, I'd say Kamoshida put you up to it?" Ren asked, his tone neutral. Mishima cautiously nodded. "Well then, there's your answer." They stared in silence for about a minute before Mishima decided to break the silence.

"What... What do you mean?"

"I mean, you didn't 'willingly' ruin my reputation, instead, you were forced to do it by a corrupt Olympic medalist that both *could* have and *would* have beat you to a pulp if he found out you disobeyed him." Mishima noticeably flinched when he said that. "Sorry... I didn't mean it like that. What I'm saying is, you were forced into doing it, and there's a difference. Don't bother with trying to make it up to me either; it's fine."

"But it's not fine! People spread rumors about you all the time, and I feel awful for putting you through that!"

"*Sigh*" Ren didn't want to be mean, but he had to say it. "Fine then. If you want to make it up to me, then you can do so by leaving me alone." Again, Mishima flinched. "Don't get me wrong, I don't hate you for doing what you did. Like I said, you were forced into it and couldn't say no. But I will say this:" Mishima looked at him curiously when he said it. "A woman lied to the police in order to protect herself, pinning someone else's lie on me, which is a big part of the reason why I'm here now. You admitting that you basically did the same thing doesn't exactly bring back the best memories." At this, Mishima's expression turned mortified. After a few seconds of silence, Mishima speaks once again.

"I-I see... Well then, I'll leave you alone." Mishima had a look that was a mixture of guilt, sadness, and sympathy at the same time. 

Ren really didn't want to hate Mishima for what he did. But just the thought of being someone else's scapegoat reminded him too much of everything that happened, and he really didn't want to take it out on someone who already had it tough because that would be hypocritical. So, just like everything else, he forced himself to let it go, and move on.

Surprise, surprise, his newfound stalker was not-so-subtly standing nearby the staircase when he came down. And, to make things oh so much better, it seems that the other students noticed this as well.

"Hey, have you noticed that Niijima-san's been   
following that transfer student a lot lately?"

"It's kinda hard not to, I mean, look at   
the way she's eying him."

"Ooh, you think he did something and now she's  
trying to get him busted?"

"Then, why would she follow him around after  
school?"

"Wait, really? Wow, she must be stalking him  
then. I wonder why?"

"Who knows. It *is* Niijima-san we're talking about.  
The principal probably promised her a recommendation letter."

"Even still. The transfer student obviously knows.  
He looked right at her."

"Maybe we should follow and see what happens.  
This sounds like it could be entertaining."

Ren wasn't surprised that this girl, Niijima, was too focused on him to hear anything being said around them. _"Is it too much to ask for one day of peace?"_ Ren just put in his fake earbuds and left. 

* * *

Of course, Ren got his answer the next day when Kawakami came up to him after class ended. Apparently, Niijima wanted to talk to him in the student council room. " _Of course it was too much to ask for"_ Ren didn't even bother trying to hide his annoyance. He unceremoniously drug himself up to where Niijima was waiting for him, really just wanting to get it over with.

"Ah, earlier than expected. Take a seat." Niijima gestured to a chair. "Do you know why you're here, Amamiya-kun?"

 _"So that you can confess your love to me? I mean, you've been following me around quite a bit for the past few days..."_ Ren dramatically thought, chuckling to himself slightly.

"What's so funny, may I ask?" Niijima glared at him.

"Oh, nothing much. I'm guessing that I'm here because you think I've done something wrong?" Ren was still grinning slightly.

"You certainly seem confident. But, the reason you are here is because I've been given the task of investigating the recent... incident... with Mr. Kamoshida. It seems you had a bit of a history with Mr. Kamoshida as well. So tell me, how do you think the Phantom Thieves changed his heart?" She eyed him critically, almost as if she was trying to intimidate him. It didn't work.

"Straight to the point, huh? Well, then. I have no clue, and frankly, I don't really care. And, to answer your question: No, I did not have any sort of 'history' with Kamoshida. He was the one who leaked my record to the student body and subsequently spread rumors to try to get me expelled." This wasn't entirely the truth, but it wasn't wrong either. "All I've been doing so far is trying to keep my head down and not get involved with anything, or anyone. But no matter where I go or what I do, I always seem to get roped into this stuff through no fault of my own." Niijima's gaze didn't falter.

"So you're saying that you know nothing about these Phantom Thieves?"

"Like I literally just said, it's none of my business. I've been trying to avoid all of this, yet somehow I get dragged in at every corner." Ren deadpanned. "Are we done here?"

"In that case, what happened between you, Takamaki, and Sakamoto in the courtyard the other day? It sounded like quite the conversation." Niijima still had a hint of confidence in her voice, but it was obviously starting to cave. "Or, what about everything else I've had reported to me? Just yesterday, I saw what looked to be you threatening Mishima-kun." Ren's expression darkened. He was going to stop this before it even started.

"If you're thinking you can use my criminal record to blackmail me into giving a confession, you've got another thing coming _'Senpai'_." His sudden shift in tone obviously caught her off guard. "For one, the whole thing with Takamaki and Sakamoto was a fluke. I just happened to be passing by, and when they noticed me, Sakamoto got in my face and accused me of eavesdropping. And even if I cared about what they were saying, I couldn't hear them. I was wearing these earbuds I got from my guardian." The lie came out smooth as silk. "And I never threatened Mishima yesterday. He came up to me, wanting to talk. He said he wanted to apologize to me personally for what happened to me because of Kamoshida. Even if it wasn't his fault, he still blamed himself for not doing anything. And I'm more than willing to bet money that the 'other reports' you received about me are either a bluff you thought of to intimidate me, or if they are real, they're all based on false rumors, which, in turn, cannot be used as actual evidence because you have no way of proving that they are true."

"..." Makoto didn't know what to say. She just sat there with a stunned expression. It was obvious that she lost this battle.

"Would you like to continue, or have you run out of rumors to blackmail me with?" Ren was starting to get frustrated again. When Makoto didn't respond, Ren added, "Let me put it this way: I may be some 'violent, drug-dealing criminal trash'," He put in air quotes, mocking the rumors. "But I'm not an idiot. I'm not just going to throw away the one I have left by getting involved in all of this stupid drama." At that point, he stood up and began walking to the door. "Oh, by the way," She looked at him. "Your manga was upside down." With that, he left the school and headed for the underground mall.

* * *

Business was slower than usual at Rafflesia that day, Ren noticed. At first, Ren just brushed it off, seeing as it was normal to have slow days, but then Ren started to notice some familiar faces. Students from Shujin Academy. Ren internally groaned. He saw it coming, really. Most likely they somehow found out he was working here and decided to see if they could find anything to start rumors with. A quick look at the school forums all but confirmed that someone had found out where Ren was working and apparently started some ludicrous rumor that he was stealing from it, and now other students were coming to see if it was true. The students weren't even trying to be subtle about spreading gossip. As much as it pained him to do it, he walked over to Hanasaki-san to give her some bad news.

"Hey, uh, Hanasaki-san? Could I talk to you for a moment?"

"Hm? Oh yes! What do you need Amamiya-san?" Her face was as happy as ever. Her cheeriness was contagious, really. 

"I think it would be best... if I didn't come here anymore." Hanasaki was a little taken aback by this.

"What makes you say that?"   
  
"Well, it's a few things. For one, rumors tend to follow me wherever I go. I don't want others to have to suffer because of me. The other major thing, which kinda ties into the rumors, is my classmates. I'm a transfer student, and someone spread a bad rumor about my past. As a result, they love to make up all these ridiculous stories about me. Now it looks like they've found out I work here and rumors online have already begun. Hell, I just watched at least 5 groups of students walk by and start gossiping. I don't want other people to get dragged down because of me." Hanasaki looked like she felt sorry for him.

"I see. If that's what you feel is best, then I won't stop you. If it makes you feel any better, though, you're probably one of the nicest employees I've hired in a while. It'll be a shame to see you go." She was smiling now, in an attempt to cheer Ren up.

"Honestly, this place made me feel welcome for a change. So, thanks." Ren was smiling as well.

"Of course. Everyone deserves a fair chance. You're welcome to return here anytime." Hanasaki was now speaking in her usual cheerful tone.

"Thanks." Hanasaki's contagious cheeriness worked like a charm. After his shift ended, Hanasaki gave him his last paycheck and he went on his way home, as sad as it was to leave his haven behind.

* * *

The next week and a half was uneventful, aside from exams starting up. Just his luck, on top of everything else now he has exams to worry about. He wasn't worried or anything, but it was still just a pain. The first three days had him immediately leaving for Leblanc after school in order to avoid the risk of running into Makoto again. After she never called him back, he considered the whole situation dropped and moved on. Over the next 4 days, he alternated between going to the diner to relax and searching for a new part-time job. He wanted to look for one that was both a decent distance from school, and somewhere the Shujin students wouldn't be able to follow him. Unfortunately, the only listing he found that matched these criteria was a bar in Shinjuku, and that was a bad idea in more ways than one, so he temporarily gave up on his job hunt. 

It was around this time when Ren noticed that he felt different. Almost like there was a constant chill up his spine. Maybe all the stress and anger finally got to be too much and he made himself sick. Oh well. He'd just take it easy the next few days.

The rest of his time after school was spent wandering around aimlessly in the underground mall. That's when he began to notice he was seeing Sakamoto and Takamaki there more often. At first, Ren chalked it up to coincidence, seeing as it was a central area, but then the places became more specific. That's when a thought crossed his mind. _"Takamaki and Sakamoto were the ones that changed Kamoshida, and now they're following me..."_ If they were following him to find evidence of wrongdoing, they had another thing coming. His concentration was already starting to falter, and he really didn't want to have to deal with this on top of potentially getting sick.

One day after he saw them he lured them into a particularly large crowd, and when he lost line of sight with them he ducked into the nearest bathroom. Not knowing what else to do, and not wanting to over-exert himself and test if he really was getting sick, he just pulled out his phone to pass the time for a bit. That's when he'd noticed an app on his phone. It was the same app that had been there ever since he'd arrived in Tokyo, but he never paid much mind to it with everything going on. 

Ignoring the mysterious app, he decided to just browse the internet. That's when he came across a particularly interesting website.

"The Phantom Aficionado Website...?" Ren questioned. Out of curiosity, he clicked to see what it was. It was an entire website dedicated to thanking the Phantom Thieves. Or at least, that's what it looked like until he noticed there was a page labeled 'requests'. Immediately upon seeing this, he decided to test his theory. And just like that, his suspicions were confirmed. While a good amount of comments were spam and/or questioning the site's validity, some of the requests had a name: **'Ren Amamiya: the delinquent transfer student'**.

Of course, Ren wouldn't be able to catch a break. After he was certain that he'd lost the blonde duo, Ren just headed back to Leblanc. Even if they followed him there, they wouldn't be able to do anything. Luckily enough, they seemed to give up after they initially lost him.

* * *

On the last day of exams, there was another school-wide assembly in the gym. Apparently the school had hired a therapist out of 'worry for the students' mental health'. Ren didn't know whether to laugh or spit at this statement. From his experience, it was more than obvious that the school didn't actually care for the students, only for its reputation. The rest of the students seemed to share his line of thinking.

After the assembly was over, he rushed back to his classroom, only to be stopped by Kawakami.

"Sorry to bother you, Amamiya-kun, but you're scheduled to see Dr. Maruki after school today." 

"And, let me guess: I have no choice in the matter?" Ren deadpanned. At her downtrodden expression, he added, "What else is new?"

"I know how you feel and I'm sorry. But it was the Principal's decision, not mine."

"Oh, of course. That way, he'd be able to use me as a tool for this school's 'reputation' even more effectively!" Kawakami looked like she wanted to say something but Ren didn't let her. "And don't even try to deny it. He already said those exact words to my face when he met me, and you were there too so I know you heard it." Kawakami was stunned but knew he was right. "Please just leave me alone... I haven't been feeling well lately and I don't need to be reminded of everything else to add even more stress on top of illness." At that, Ren left to go to see Dr. Maruki. Just like with his meeting with Makoto the other day, he just wanted to get this over with.

* * *

"It's open!" Dr. Maruki called out when he heard knocking. The door opened to reveal Ren, with a blank expression on his face. "Ah, Amamiya-kun. Welcome." Maruki said with a friendly tone. "I take it you're here for counseling?"

"Not like I was given much choice." Ren deadpanned.

"I see. I truly am sorry about that. I went out of my way to explain to the school that it wouldn't be a good idea to force kids into counseling, as it would really have more of the opposite effect." Ren made his way over to the chair. He really just wanted to get this over with. "If it makes you feel any better, we don't have to talk about anything specific. We could just sit here and chat if you like. Or, we don't even have to talk at all. Feel free to have some snacks as well. There's more than plenty, so if you want some, you can have at 'em." Maruki's tone was genuinely friendly, and he had a welcoming aura around him. It was refreshing compared to the atmosphere Ren had grown used to at Shujin.

"No offense, Dr. Maruki, but even if I wanted to talk about things, there's not much to talk about."

"And that's perfectly fine. All I'm here to do is make sure you feel welcome, and help you through anything that might be on your mind. But, like I said, I'm not forcing you into talking about things. It's impossible to talk about things you don't want to anyways." Ren looked at him skeptically.

"...That's it? No punch line, no catch? We can just... chat?"

"Of course."

"..." Ren didn't know what to think. This was the first time at school where he was shown something that wasn't disdain towards him, and it felt... Weird for lack of a better term. It would be nice to finally let out the things he'd been bottling up, but could he really trust Dr. Maruki?

"Is there anything in particular you wanted to talk about? It can be anything, really."

At this point, he didn't really have much to lose, so Ren decided to be blunt.

"This might sound a bit rude or stand-offish, but can I really trust you, Dr. Maruki? Ever since I got here, people have done nothing but watch my every move. Hell, Principal Kobayakwa already admitted to my face that I'm just a tool to help rebuild this school's 'reputation'" Ren was starting to get tired of that word.

"That's a completely valid concern. But, this room has no cameras or any recording devices present whatsoever. There's also doctor-patient confidentiality, so nobody will ever find out what goes on inside these walls." After realizing what he just said, and seeing Ren's expression, Maruki quickly added, "Sorry! I probably should've worded that better... What I mean is, I can't and won't tell other people about my clients' personal information." 

Any and all tension at that point was completely thrown out the window, and Ren couldn't help but chuckle at how incredibly ridiculous this whole situation seemed. It was genuine as well, which was a nice feeling.

"Anyways... Has there been anything on your mind that you'd want to talk about? That could be a good place to start." Immediately upon hearing that, Ren's mood faded back to what it was. However, after seeing that display, there was no way that Maruki was lying about being trustworthy. 

"Fine... but I doubt I have a pretty story to tell." After taking a second to gather his thoughts, Ren began speaking. "I guess the biggest thing that's bothering me is that I'm constantly taking a defensive stance. I try not to stay in one place for too long because I feel like people are just going to follow me with the sole intent to try to slander me with some new ridiculous rumor. I mean, hell, I had to quit a part-time job for that same reason. All this time, I've been trying to tell myself that I don't care about what people say, that I've grown apathetic to all the rumors, but now I'm starting to wonder just how much of it is true. Every day something new happens to test my patience and I just feel like I want to explode sometimes..." Ren could already feel his emotions starting to mix together and rise up.

"Because of your criminal record, huh?" Maruki's expression was sympathetic.

"How did you-" Ren was genuinely caught off-guard, but then he just felt another spike of anger, on top of everything else he felt. His expression darkened. "Actually, no. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you know. This school just *loves* it's rumors and gossip after all... So much for 'doctor-patient confidentiality', I'm not even given a hint of privacy!" Ren had finally snapped.

"Amamiya-kun, that's not-"

"Every day of my life for the past god-knows-how-long, my life has been nothing but a shit-show! My parents hated me from the bottom of their hearts, and they made damn sure that I knew it! Then, the next thing you know, I get arrested for a crime I didn't commit, I get thrown in jail, the bitch that I tried to help lied to the police and in court, and I get an assault on my record! Then, I get exiled from my hometown and sent here to this giant stress-maze called Tokyo which I know nothing about! And now I'm stuck here, where I'm constantly reminded that I'm not wanted!"

"..." All Maruki could do was watch with a shocked expression.

"My life was hell before, but ever since that night, my parents have regretted giving birth to me, I'm stuck in a place that constantly stresses me out with the atmosphere, everybody gossips about me behind my back, half the time it seems like I'm more of a pain than anything to my guardian, my classmates have been stalking me, and now I come to find out that I apparently never had any actual privacy to begin with here! Hahaha... How much more can I be screwed over on a daily basis?!" Ren was panting at this point after he basically just exploded and let everything out.

Maruki still looked on with a shocked expression, but quickly composed himself.

"I see..." 

"Sorry... Guess there's my answer for how much longer until I exploded..." Ren couldn't help but feel embarrassed by his outburst, even if he knew he couldn't control it.

"There's no need to apologize in here. If there's anything you ever need to get off your chest, then feel free to do so. Now then. How do you feel after talking about your problems? Do you feel any better?" Maruki once again had that cheeriness in his voice. 

"A little, I guess..." Ren was still embarrassed.

"Good. If you want, we can stop here for today. Talking about this stuff isn't easy, and like I said before, I won't do or say anything to make you uncomfortable." 

"No, no, It's fine... I guess it was only a matter of time after that night."

_**"Damn brat! I'll sue!"** _

"Ever since that damn night, I just haven't been able to find a reason to be happy. Or if I do find a reason, it dies out too quickly." Maruki once again had a sympathetic gaze. "Life before now was manageable, as I hardly ever needed to interact with my parents anyways. And I can deal with the rumors; some of them I can't help but laugh at. Besides, Sakura-san isn't actually all that bad. Yes, he was a little gruff at the start, but he's become more friendly with me these past few weeks." Ren started to smile for a second, but it quickly faded. "But I would do anything to forget the events of that night, and what happened afterward. Maybe even beforehand, too." Ren grimaced as soon as he mentioned it, not wanting to bring up those horrible memories.

"And then everything else just kinda piled on, huh?"

"Yep... If I could forget everything that happened, I'd take that opportunity without a second thought. Yes I'd be confused, but at the same time I'd actually be able to have a chance at a new beginning, and hopefully live a semi-normal life for a year, albeit with the rumors of course." 

"I see." Maruki looked as if he was contemplating something.

"That, and I'm sick and tired of feeling this constant anger. Anger at the man that ruined my life, anger at the woman who willingly lied to the police, anger at my old life, and anger at not being able to do a damn thing *about* it." Ren could feel said anger returning to him once more. He knew it sounded stupid but it felt good to get it out there. 

"Well, I don't think your line of thinking is strange at all Amamiya-kun." Maruki once again had that friendly gaze.

"Huh? You don't?" Ren was obviously surprised by this.

"Not at all. It's not uncommon for people to want to forget things that cause them trauma of some kind. Even beyond that, everybody has things that they'd rather forget. Be it a fight with a friend, something embarrassing that they once said, and anything else you could think of. And I can understand wanting to be happy for a change instead of constantly being angry like you said. So, what if I told you that I can help you find a way to forget everything?" 

Ren couldn't believe what he was hearing. It almost sounded too good to be true. Surely, there was no way he was actually being serious, right?

"You're serious...?" Ren finally asked after a good few seconds of silence.

"Of course. It's actually pretty simple. But, is that what you want?"

"I mean... You're saying that I would be able to forget everything, and move on, just like that?" When Maruki once again confirmed that he somehow could, Ren took a few moments to actually think about things. On one hand, he could continue living how he is, constantly resenting his situation and the events that led to it to the point of making himself sick, or he could forget everything that happened, and treat this situation as a new beginning. Ren had to admit, it was tempting. He finally spoke after a few seconds more.

"Yes. Dr. Maruki, I want to forget everything that happened." Ren said, determined. "I want to use this as a chance at a new beginning."

"Very well. All you have to do is focus on the memories in question, and then tell yourself that you wish to forget them."

As stupid and far-fetched as it sounded, Ren did just that. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and then suddenly...

_***Whoosh!*** _

Everything was white. Looking around, it was all Ren could see. Just pure white nothingness. Then, he saw the memories he wanted to forget play out before him, almost as if it was being played on a projector. He just stared both in awe and disgust, not knowing what to make of what was going on but still resenting the memories for even existing. Then, the memories began to show white dots on the edges of them, steadily erasing the memories until there was nothing more. And then, he felt this overwhelming sense of freedom, almost as if he'd been born anew. It was euphoric.

_***Whoosh!*** _

"Well, how do you feel?" Maruki asked, bringing Ren back into reality.

"I don't know... quite how to describe it..." Ren's face showed his confusion. "It's like something's changed within me, but at the same time, it's a bit hazy... But honestly, I can't say that I hate it. If anything, it feels like I've been reborn...!" For the first time in what felt like forever, Ren felt genuinely happy, and he couldn't contain his excitement.

"So you're no longer bottling up your anger." Maruki thought aloud.

"Huh? Why would I be angry?"

"Oh! It's nothing. I was just thinking that this was a lot more successful than I imagined it would be Amamiya-kun." *ding!* It sounded like a timer went off. "Oh, shoot! I'm sorry Amamiya-kun, but it seems like our time's run out. I need to see another student scheduled for now."

"It's fine. But I have to agree. It's been a while since I've felt this... free."

"I'm glad to hear that. Feel free to come back anytime if you're ever feeling down. Or, if you want to stop by and chat for a bit, that's fine too! So long as I'm not with another student, my doors are always open."

On that note, Ren began his walk home from school. Deciding that he didn't really have anywhere else to go, he decided to just go back to Leblanc. Maybe Sojiro would even let him start helping around the cafe. Ren didn't know why, but the thought of becoming closer to Sojiro made him a bit happier. It was almost as if this was his home now, and he could have a chance to live the normal life he always dreamed of without his parents around.

Either way, Ren never felt happier than he did at that moment, and he was determined to not let anything ruin it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, funny story about this chapter:
> 
> So I was about to post this chapter but decided to give P5R a quick, last-minute flick-through so that I could better connect the events of the game at this point, and that's when I realized that I totally forgot that exams were a thing! Yikes! So if the bit where exams are mentioned seems a bit rushed, I do apologize for that!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so this chapter was originally going to be way longer (like 6,000 words long, yikes!), so I decided to split it into two chapters to give a little suspense :P
> 
> Don't worry, though, I'm not evil, so I'll post the next part to this soon. Be prepared, 'cause it's gonna be eventful.

  
It seemed like luck was on Ren's side, because as soon as Ren arrived at Leblanc, Sojiro seemed to need his help for once.

"Oh, kid! Perfect timing!" Sojiro called out as soon as he saw Ren at the door. "I know this may seem sudden, but today's been a bit busier than normal, and something personal came up in the middle of it all and I lost track of things. You think you could help me out for a bit?"

As Ren glanced around Leblanc, he immediately saw what Sojiro meant. There were quite a few customers in the booths. 

"Of course! Let me go set down my stuff and I'll be right down." Ren responded happily. He was still feeling the after-effects of Maruki's counseling. At that, Ren went upstairs.

"So, you hired a part-timer eh, boss?" One of the customers spoke up. It was an older man sitting with his wife.

"He seems quite young." The man's wife said.

"It's nothing like that." Sojiro responded.

After a few minutes, Ren came back down. He'd changed out of his school uniform and fetched an apron.

"Anything specific you need me to do?" Ren asked.

"Just help out with the dishes for now. I can handle orders."

"Okay then!" And with that, Ren walked over to the sink and began his work. It didn't take long for him to fall into a good-paced rhythm. Sojiro noticed when he looked at Ren from time to time that he seemed more upbeat than usual, but decided to wait until later to question it.

* * *

It was finally evening, and the last set of customers, the elderly couple, finally left for the night. After the initial rush that Ren had walked into, it had calmed down rather quickly. Sojiro was finishing cleaning the counter when he finally decided to ask Ren something.

"Hey, so, I know it's none of my business, but I noticed you seem happier today. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but normally you look too tired to do anything when you get home. Something happen?" It was meant to be casual, but Sojiro hoped he hadn't come off as too strict.

"Oh, do I? Sorry, I guess I did have a lot going on at the time..." Ren thought for a second. "But, yeah, I guess something good did happen." The difference in Ren's mood between those two sentences was like night and day. "The school hired a therapist today."

"A therapist?" Sojiro was shocked, but then thought for a second. "Ohh, that's right. Wasn't one of your teachers arrested for abuse, or something like that?" Sojiro had heard the news but hadn't paid much attention to it. At this, Ren's mood once again dampened.

"Yeah... Turns out he was physically abusing his male volleyball players and sexually harassing his female players. On top of that, he indirectly pressured a girl into jumping off the school roof..." Sojiro was taken aback by this. "But then, out of nowhere he admitted to his crimes before subsequently bursting out into tears and begging for forgiveness. It was like he was a completely different person; it was weird." Ren looked to see Sojiro's mortified face.

To say Sojiro was caught off guard would be a massive understatement; he was absolutely flabbergasted. To think that someone would be this inhuman to do that to school children.

"So the therapist is there to ease the minds of the students, huh?" Sojiro's tried to hold a poker face to hide his disgust. 

"...And help secure the school's reputation..." Ren didn't even try to hide his disdain in that comment, but Sojiro decided not to follow up on it. "But yes, he's there to help people out after everything happened, primarily those who had direct involvement with Kamoshida. I was scheduled to see him today." 

"Wait, why were you called? You didn't do anything to get yourself involved, did you? "Although Sojiro tried not to show it, Ren's comment worried him. What happened between this Kamoshida and the kid?

"Apparently he forced one of his players to leak my criminal record to the student body, and there've been all sorts of rumors about me ever since. The student in question apologized to me personally, even said that he felt awful for doing it, but still..."

"Even though he's gone, the damage has been done?" Ren nodded. Sojiro felt a mix of emotions. He was pissed at Kamoshida for doing what he did, but there wasn't anything he could do now that Kamoshida was in jail; He was worried about Ren's well-being, even if he tried not to show it too much; and he felt sorry for all those kids who apparently suffered under this Kamoshida.

"But anyway, the meeting with the therapist actually went better than I expected. I was skeptical at first, but he really is good at what he does. It was only my first session, but I feel better than I have ever since I got here. I guess finally talking about the things that stressed me out to someone willing to listen worked then." Ren's voice was cheery once more.

"Well, that's good. But you're sure you're alright? You did say you were under a lot of stress."

"I could do without the rumors, but other than that I think I'll be fine from now on. Besides, I actually found these in the attic a little while back." Ren showed Sojiro the broken earbuds. "They don't actually work, but it's helped fend off some of the rumors because people realize they can't get a reaction out of me."

"Oh, those are...!" Sojiro started to say something but cut himself off. Ren tilted his head but didn't question it further. "Nevermind... Well, it's good to see you're doing better. Just, try to be careful." Sojiro's voice had a concerned tone, and Ren noticed. It felt nice to know that Sojiro actually did care about him even if he didn't directly show it. "Well, I've gotta get home and make dinner. Close the shop up for me, yeah?"

"Sure." Ren finished putting away the last of the dishes and then locked the door. Sojiro had already flipped the sign when he left. With that done, he made a quick trip to the bathhouse to freshen up, and then fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Today had really worn him out, even more so than he'd realized.

* * *

Suddenly he woke up in an unfamiliar place. Actually, no, he did recognize it. He was in a jail cell lying down on an uncomfortable bed. _"It's this damn dream again..."_ Ren thought to himself. He'd been having these weird dreams ever since he first arrived in Tokyo. He awoke in a jail cell where a man - Igor, he called himself - and his two assistants - two little girls dressed as wardens - told him to 'fight against the upcoming ruin.' Whatever that meant. Just like the mysterious app, though, he didn't pay it much mind with everything else going on at the time. This time, Ren didn't even bother to get out of his bed, and just lay there waiting for this stupid dream to end.

"It is a shame to see that the game was over before it even began." 'Igor' had a different tone to his voice than usual. "I had high expectations of you, Trickster, but it seems that you have forsaken your resolve in return for a false normalcy. Truly a pity. But, I wonder, if you could find a new source of rebellion inside this new false truth you have obtained. Should that be the case, you will be able to return here. But for now, we must part ways. If you fail to make a choice in time, however, the ruin that approaches will no doubt bring forth your demise."

'Igor' always spoke in cryptic language, and Ren had neither the desire nor energy to even try to decipher it. He had to wonder if all the stress he'd been under had created this scenario in his head, and it was all somehow symbolic. Or maybe he'd finally lost it in the short span of time he'd been here. It didn't matter, though, because now he's found a reason to be happy, even if there are some things that he still questions about his new situation.

* * *

The next day all but confirmed that Ren had indeed come down with something. Before, he'd just felt slightly under the weather, and he didn't really notice it unless he actively thought about it. Today, though, he could definitely tell that something was off. It wasn't so bad to the point of not being to move, but it was definitely a bit worse than the day before. 

_"Tomorrow is Sunday, so maybe I can just power through today and then rest up tomorrow..."_ Ren really didn't want to risk skipping school for a multitude of reasons. Besides, it's still not that bad, and maybe he'd feel better after he ate something. He was walking downstairs at this point and it seemed like Sojiro was already getting a plate ready for him.

"Thanks again for last night by the way. I know it was a bit sudden, and normally I'm more on top of things. Guess that what happens when you get old..." Sojiro joked.

"Oh, it's no problem. Actually, I was gonna ask to help out regardless. I wanted to help out for a change instead of just kinda being there." Ren explained and immediately noticed that his voice sounded nasally. Sojiro noticed as well.

"You feeling okay? I can call the school if you can't go."

"Oh, no, it's fine. Just caught an annoying cold. I'll be alright." Ren still tried to sound optimistic. He didn't feel weak enough to stay home. 

"Well, if you're sure..." Sojiro eyed him for a second longer. 

"Besides, I already feel better now that I've eaten something." Ren looks at his phone. "Oh, shoot! I'm a little behind! Sorry, I gotta go!" Ren rushed to gather his things and bolted out the door. He made it to the station just as the train was arriving. _"Made it..."_ he thought to himself.

Ren still hadn't fully caught his breath by the time he was at Shibuya station, which had him second-guessing himself on whether or not he should've had Sojiro call. Oh well, he was already too far into the trip to turn back now. He just had to hope that things wouldn't be too hectic today.

* * *

After what felt like an hour on the train, Ren finally made it to Aoyama-Itchome station, and was able to make it to school without any issues. Like usual, Ren just headed for the classroom to wait for class to start. 

Classes weren't any different than usual that day, but Ren definitely could feel his concentration waning from time to time. In one of his morning classes, Dr. Maruki was giving a lecture about what seemed to be different states of mind, but Ren's concentration wouldn't allow him to decipher any more than that. After a brief internal struggle, he was finally able to get his concentration under control, and seemingly at the perfect time, because Maruki had decided to call on him to answer a question.

"Ah, yes. Amamiya-kun, how about you?" Most eyes turned to Ren. "What do we call the phenomenon where believing in a treatment's power is enough to improve your condition?" Lucky for him, he'd just learned this during his studies a few days prior.

"The placebo effect." Ren tried to sound like he normally would, but there was definitely something off about his voice, even if it was subtle. Unfortunately, this did not go unnoticed, as people were still eyeing him when Maruki resumed the lecture. Again, Ren's concentration was beginning to fail him, so he resorted to propping his head up with his hand.

From within the desk in front of him, feline eyes were still looking at him suspiciously. Ren's body language and voice showed that something was obviously wrong. He subtly used one of his paws to get Ann's attention. When she looked at him, he directed her attention towards Ren, who was sitting behind her, and she instantly gained a look of concern. The two made eye contact again, and the look in their eyes told them that they were thinking the same thing. They were going to discuss this later.

* * *

When the final bell rang, Ren, as usual, left the classroom without hesitation and headed for home. Ann and her feline friend, however, stayed back a second, and after some students left the cat decided to speak up.

"You noticed right? Something was different about that Amamiya kid today. It was like he couldn't focus." The look on the cat's face was ever serious.

"Yeah, I saw. He looked really out of it today. But I don't think that has anything to do with him being distorted though. He *is* still semi-new to the area, so maybe he got sick or something." Ann's face and tone were concerned. "Are you sure you're not just looking into it a bit too much Morgana?"

"You'd be surprised, Lady Ann. Even subtle differences like that can mean whole new scenarios when it comes to distortions. I've seen it before." Ann finally sorted her things and Morgana hopped inside her bag.   
  
"Okay... We're still meeting with Ryuji later to discuss the art exhibit tomorrow and look for info about Madarame, so maybe we can look into it while we're there?"

"Yeah, let's do it. Something about that kid worries me..." With that, they both left the room.

* * *

Classes could not end fast enough in Ren's opinion. Things luckily picked up the pace after Maruki's class, so it wasn't like the day took an eternity, but even still it could've been quicker. After walking through Station Square, Ren decided he needed to sit down for a second to catch his breath. The bench in question was a little ways away from the crowd, so there were only a few select people in the immediate vicinity, not that Ren cared. The only person that seemed remotely notable was a boy with brown hair that looked to be his age, if not slightly older, that walked by and stood around the corner. It didn't seem like he'd noticed Ren's presence. 

As Ren started to stand up, he heard a noise from his phone, and when he looked at it, that strange app had responded to something. **"Beginning Navigation"** He immediately felt a wave of fatigue flow through him, giving him a mild headache that subsided after a brief moment. When he looked back up, he instantly knew that something was wrong. For one, there wasn't anybody around. It was like they'd all just disappeared into thin air. Beyond that, the air had become thicker, and his body felt different physically.

"What in the hell...?" Was all Ren could say at that moment. Cautiously, he walked around to look at the surrounding area. It was so surreal; everything looked identical to how it normally did, but it all had this weird atmosphere to it. It was creepy, to say the least.

Gaining some courage, he decided to descend the staircase that led below to see if he could somehow find an exit and leave whatever the hell this was. Upon doing so, he found that everything that should be the undergrown mall was now some kind of... mutated subway system? And Ren thought this whole situation couldn't get any weirder than it already was.

"This is so beyond messed up... What in the hell is even going on...?"

Suddenly, a sensation came over him that he couldn't quite describe. The feeling caused him to turn to face the path that led downwards. It was like he knew something was down there, waiting for him to find. 

"Calling me..." There was no doubt that there was something he needed to find here, and it was calling out to him. "Okay... Here I come...!" Ren's voice was determined. Whatever it was that he needed to find, it had to be important. Maybe it would even be a way out?

He walked along what appeared to be the mutated subway system and followed the path that his mind was giving him. It was weird. This place seemed dangerous, but it was like the mental path he had was taking him away from said danger. He eventually came across a staircase and proceeded downwards. Whatever was calling him was definitely on this floor. 

As he continued to walk, Ren eventually came across a weird vortex-looking thing. _**"Though there..."**_ Ren couldn't tell if it was him thinking this, or if it was something different. Either way, Ren proceeded through, only to see a room that led to a dead-end, with someone standing by the wall in the back. 

"Are you... the one who called me here? Who are you?" Ren called out, confused, yet oddly calm in a way. The figure didn't respond. When he took another look, Ren noticed that the figure looked familiar. They had black, messy hair, and they were wearing a black jacket with jeans... The same clothes he wore when he wasn't in school uniform...

_"No, it couldn't be..."_ Ren thought as he inched his way closer to the figure. When he finally got up close, he could see more and more specific details about the figure. There was no doubt... somehow this was...

"Somehow I'm you?" The figure spoke. It was almost Ren's voice, but there was something different about it, like it was warped or something. The figure turned back to face him, and Ren couldn't believe his eyes. "Yeah, that's right... I'm you."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 is here! Yay!
> 
> I wasn't kidding when I said to be prepared. This chapter's gonna be hella eventful.

Ann had admittedly gotten more than a little side-tracked when gathering some last-minute supplies from Shibuya's underground mall. She'd sent Ryuji a text, explaining where she was and why she was late, but even then it was still a bit longer than necessary. Regardless, she finally made it to where Ryuji sat down on the walkway.

"'Sup?" He acknowledged her.

"Hey, I'm so sorry I'm late! I was getting some last-minute things for, you know, and I totally lost track of time looking at things that might somehow have a use for us."

"'S good. I was using this time to see if we could find something to go off, and this guy's definitely up to something. I found tons of different articles, stories, and whatever else, and some of the stuff they mentioned were pretty fucked up." Ryuji's voice was serious. "If this guy's the same one we heard about in Mementos, we gotta do something, and soon."

"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. We still need to confirm if the rumors about plagiarism are true or not, and we still don't know what his keywords are. We'll have to find out tomorrow during that art exhibit." Ann said, but she looked just as determined as Ryuji. "Plus, Kitagawa-kun's going to be there, so if I talk to him about this modeling thing, maybe we can learn something about Madarame that we'll need."

"There's also one more thing, Lady Ann. Tell him!" Morgana popped his head out of Ann's bag.

"Oh yeah. Morgana thinks we should take one more look at Amamiya-kun." 

"Uhh, why? I mean, we already followed him around to see if he did anything and he didn't do jack shit." Ryuji was dumbfounded.

"Even still...! Just because we haven't *seen* him do anything doesn't mean he's off the hook! Something about him seemed different today, too." Morgana's face was just as serious as before.

"Yeah, but it looked like he was just having trouble concentrating on class. He *is*still relatively new to the area, so maybe he got sick."

"For real? Man, that effin' sucks..."

"We know he has a Shadow. Why not just confirm it for ourselves?" Morgana suggested.

"Okay, dude, I gotta ask. Ever since you first saw him in the courtyard that one time you've been fixated on 'im. What's up with that?" Ann nodded.

"Yeah, I kinda agree. I mean, yeah, he was aggressive at first, but maybe he was just stressed out? I mean, you remember what he said, right?"

_*** flashback *** _

  
"What reason would I have for eavesdropping on what other people say? I don't know if you've noticed, but people still haven't exactly accepted my transfer here, and I'm sick and tired of listening to people talk shit about me every second of the day. So no, I was *not* eavesdropping on your little... whatever is going on here, I was a little busy trying to block out the world. Can you back up by the way? I don't like people invading my personal space."

_*** flashback *** _

"I don't know. Maybe I'm overthinking things here, but whenever I see him he doesn't seem like the kind of people we go after in Mementos."

"To be fair, though, he *was* arrested for assault." Ryuji added.

"That's the thing I don't understand. He just doesn't seem like the person who'd need a change of heart."

"I get your concern, but something about him just bothers me. In my experience, I've learned to trust my gut when it comes down to certain things, and this Amamiya kid is giving me that same feeling." Morgana looked like he contemplated something for a brief moment. "I really think we should investigate his Shadow."

"I mean, I guess it wouldn't hurt to. Just to confirm Morgana's suspicions. Maybe we'll even find some information on Madarame from the Shadows." Ann suggested.

"Alright fine. When you put it that way, I'm in..." Ryuji pulled out his phone, opened the nav, and typed Ren's name in. "Yep. It's still a hit."

* * *

"Yeah, that's right... I'm you." 

"You're... me...? But- That's just- I'm- what...?" Ren couldn't process anything that was going on in front of him. This figure was *him*? But *he* was himself... It didn't make any sense.

"I am just so done with the world and everyone in it." The figure began. "Nobody knows the truth about what happened; they only 'know' the story through the rumors they spread. Yet, they have no trouble believing that I'm the bad guy, that just by existing I'm pure evil." Ren just stared in awe. "They don't know what I... What *we've* been through. All they believe is whatever rumor they slander me with, not the truth. But I guess I'm no better." Ren's expression became confused. "My life was stolen from me, and I have no way of knowing if I can get it back. But instead of doing anything about it, I run away. I tell myself that I don't care, that none of it matters because I can pretend to be happy for a change."

"Wait, what...? Running away...? What do you mean?" Ren finally questioned his doppelganger.

"You know exactly what I mean. What happened on that night." Ren's face grew serious. "Oh, dear! I know about that? *chuckle* Of course I would. I *am* you after all..."

"You said it again... that you're me. I mean, I know that you look like me, but what exactly do you mean? What's going on here!?"

"Simple, really. I am your Shadow, the aspects of yourself that you don't like to admit. There's nothing that I don't know about you."

"Okay then, prove it. Prove that you're me!" Ren's face was still serious.

"Very well. For as long as you can remember, all you've ever wanted is to live a normal, happy life. You've always lived in fear of your parents. You've always wanted to somehow escape your home life, and go somewhere far away. It didn't matter where, or how you got there. And, now that you're here, you intend to do just that. Nothing else matters, not even the fact that you don't even remember what led to you ending up here. Instead of questioning it, you just ignore it so you can finally live a normal life with Sakura-san, at least for a year." Ren flinched. "Have I said enough?" Ren wanted so badly to deny it, but...

"*sigh* Fine..." Ren grimaced as he began to talk. "As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. I have just been running away from everything. When I realized that I could finally live even a halfway decent life, I immediately jumped at the chance to. I haven't been able to figure out anything that happened on that night, or anything after it, but I felt like it didn't matter as long as I could finally live normally. I still don't know if there's anything I can do, but I guess I'll never find out if I don't try to."

Shadow Ren began to smile.

"I see. That'll do for now." Shadow Ren began to glow, and then he disappeared. Ren could suddenly feel his other self inside him, watching over him. "I look forward to when we can forge our contract." A new voice said to him, but Ren could tell that it was still his other self.

"Arsene..." Ren whispered his other self's name. Ren smiled, before the reality of the situation finally came back to him. He was still inside this bizarro subway! Quickly, he made his way back outside of the void and back onto the tracks, trying to retrace his steps. The only problem was... everything looked the same! All the paths were identical, and there was no indication of which path was the one that he took to get here. So, he just followed his gut and began to run. If he ran into a dead-end, he'd turn around and try a different path.

Eventually, after finding the staircase that led downwards, Ren narrowed it down to one path. The only issue, though, was that it was guarded by some strange creature that Ren couldn't even begin to describe. It looked like it was made up of the same mass as the walls and floor, and it was wearing a mask. _"Oh god damn it! Of course when I finally find the right path...!"_ He'd come too far to turn back now, not that there was anywhere else he could go. 

Ren crouched down, trying to immerse himself in the shadows in order to hide from the creature. At first it didn't notice him. It wasn't until he was almost there when the creature turned to face him and realized that he was there.

"Shit...!" Ren cursed himself, before breaking into a sprint. Ren thought he could just outrun the weird thing when he got to the stairs, but the only issue was that the path he was on once again split into multiple directions. He didn't have the chance to even consider taking one of the paths, however, as the monster had caught up to him faster than Ren anticipated and sent him flying into a wall.

"Oww..." Ren quickly tried to get up, but again was sent flying, rolling and bouncing as he landed. This time he was able to get to his feet and bolt down one of the paths. Just when Ren had finally gotten some distance, more of the same creatures appeared. "Oh that is just bullshit!" He said as he saw more of them. Quickly they surrounded him, before they all seemingly exploded, and in their place multiple more monsters appeared. Some looked like fairies, others were floating jack-o-lanterns, and there were even some angel-looking ones too.

"Okay this is bad..." Ren was cornered. He was panicking, but there wasn't much he could do. Some of them began to form an attack, and Ren braced himself for impact, but it never came. He looked up and say that there was a shapeless form creating an invisible wall that blocked the attacks. At that moment, he heard another voice, one that was definitely human.

"Kill them, Loki!" There was a bright flash, and Ren covered his eyes. When he looked back up, all the monsters were gone. That's when he saw the person in question. They were wearing black and purple armor.

"Who're you?!" Ren called out, still fearful, but serious. "Are you the one that brought me here?! What the hell is this place?!" The figure chuckled, before pulling something out. 

"*chuckle* Who I am is of no concern to you." Their voice was definitely human but warped somehow, but it wasn't the same as his Shadow from earlier. "At first, I considered killing you on the spot, but I watched what transpired between you and your Shadow. There aren't many who are capable of that. It would also appear that you and I are quite similar. You may be useful to me later..." Ren was now confused on top of everything else he felt. "You shouldn't be here. It's dangerous to wander around without some form of defense. Now, return." The mysterious black-masked person threw the object at Ren, and then everything was enveloped in this field of white. The next thing Ren knew, he was back where he entered. 

"What in the...?" Ren was disoriented, but when he regained all his senses, he wasted no time in racing back up the stairs and back over to the bench he was at. It was here where he heard a voice from his phone. **"Would you like to return to the real world?"** Ren immediately clicked yes, and everything morphed back into the reality he knew.

* * *

"Yep. It's still a hit." Ryuji said as his hand that held his phone fell to his side. 

"I wonder what Amaiya-kun's Shadow will be like..." Ann thought aloud.

"We should be prepared for anything. Something about him really doesn't sit right with me." Morgana's face still hadn't lost its serious look. 

"Man, you really are still obsessed over this. It'll prolly be fine! I mean it's not like he'll be any different than..." Ryuji trailed off as he looked at his phone again. Ann and Morgana both noticed this.

"What is it?" Ann found herself becoming cautious. "Did something happen with the nav?"

"Yeah..." Ryuji's face was still shocked at something.

"Well don't just sit there gawking, tell us!" Morgana demanded.

"Mona!" Ann yelled at the cat. "Seriously, though, what is it? You said it was something to do with the nav?"

"Yeah. Amamiya's name ain't showin' up anymore!" 

"Wait, what? How's that possible?" Ann was dumbfounded. "Did you try to see if he has a palace then?"

"Yeah, and it said the same thing. All of a sudden his name just doesn't show up in the nav!"

"So I was right to be suspicious. There are only two reasons that this should happen. First, he worked through his distorted desires himself, which is unlikely, given what we've seen from him; Second, his Shadow disappeared from Mementos, which only happens either when a palace forms - which Ryuji just confirmed isn't the case - or he accepted the Shadow as a Persona, which can only happen if you're inside the metaverse. Either way, we should keep a close eye on him from now on."

"So wait, you're sayin' he might have access to the metaverse, too? How the hell does that even work?" Ryuji was still dumbfounded, but serious after what he heard Morgana say. Ann felt the same way.

"I don't know. But I agree that we should keep a close eye on him if what Morgana's saying is true. Amamiya-kun's in my class, so that shouldn't be much of an issue."

"'Kay. So, with that out of the way, I wanna go over some of the shit I found about Madarame."

* * *

Ren was exhausted after what he just experienced, not to mention being in pain from being slammed into a wall by whatever that... *thing* was! His head hurt, his legs felt like they could give out at any second, and there was a group of teenagers that were making a bit more noise than Ren would've appreciated. With the way they looked, they were obviously foreigners, not that there was anything wrong with that.

He'd just made it to the staircase when said group of teenagers suddenly started shouting in his direction, until he suddenly felt a force collide against his back, sending him down the stairs. The next thing he knew, there was a slight crowd near him. One of them was the boy with brown hair he'd seen earlier. Another looked to be a security guard. The others were other bystanders from the crowd.

"Young man, are you alright? That was quite a fall." The security guard asked him. "How many fingers am I holding up?" Ren answered a few questions the guard asked him to make sure he was coherent. Eventually, the boy with brown hair spoke up.

"I'll go with him to make sure he's okay. You may need to provide backup for that group over there." They all look in the direction of said group and they look ready to book it, and the guard that was scolding them looked ready to take action.

"Understood. Thank you, Akechi-kun." The guard responded. The boy, Akechi, looked back at Ren.

"Can you stand?" Ren nodded, but when he tried to do so he almost ended up falling again. "Here. I can help you to a hospital if you need it." Akechi's voice was serious, but friendly at the same time. 

"There's a clinic in the area I live in. Think you could help me get home? My guardian can help me from there." Ren felt like he could collapse at any given point. He just wanted a chance to sit down, and regain his energy.

"Of course." Akechi helped Ren to the train. Luckily, there was an open seat. Akechi stood in front of him. "Are you sure you're alright? You look ready to collapse." 

"I'll be fine... I think..." In all honesty Ren did feel like collapsing, but he really just wanted to get home and rest. Akechi looked at him, concerned, but didn't protest.

Finally, they made it to Yongen-Jaya station. By that point, the pain had slightly subsided, and he regained a little bit of energy, but he was still exhausted. He was able to stand on his own, but Akechi still stood close by in case Ren did end up collapsing.

"You live nearby, yes?" Akechi asked.

"It's in the back alley a bit." Ren tiredly responded. Akechi nodded. After some more walking they eventually made it to Leblanc. "This is it."

"A cafe...?" Akechi was a little surprised, to say the least.

"Long story..." 

"Right." Akechi recomposed himself.

Sojiro immediately looked in their direction when he heard the door.

"You're home later than usual kid-" Sojiro cut himself off. "What happened?!" Sojiro's voice quickly became concerned. Akechi helped Ren into a booth and answered before Ren could process a sentence.

"There was a group of high schoolers messing around in Station Square. They clearly weren't paying attention, and one of them ran into him and pushed him down the flight of stairs." Ren took Akechi's words with a grain of salt, seeing as he didn't actually know what happened from his perspective.

"Is that what happened?" Ren questioned sheepishly. 

"Yes." Akechi nodded. "At first they didn't even realize what they did until they heard the commotion and saw you at the bottom. I had to step in before they could run away. A few other security guards did the same. When I saw that they partially had it under control I went to check up on you." Sojiro just looked on in sympathy, but there was also a hint of anger in his gaze directed towards that group of kids.

"Well alright then. Why not head upstairs and get to bed. We can take you to the clinic tomorrow."

"Okay..."

"Do you need me to go with you?" Akechi asked.

"No, I should be fine from here..." Ren stood up from the booth and began to make his way to the stairs. He was barely able to hold his eyes open at this point. He almost made it to the staircase when what little consciousness he had suddenly left him, and he collapsed to the floor.

"Ren!" Sojiro shouted out.

"Oh, dear!" Akechi was also surprised.

* * *

At Tae Takemi's medical clinic, Sojiro and Akechi were anxiously waiting for Takemi to assess the damage. The door opens and she walks out.

"Okay, you two can come in now." She says. Both follow her inside.

"Is he gonna be okay, doctor?" Sojiro asked, concern evident.

"After a fall like that, I'd be surprised if he didn't have a mild concussion at least. He doesn't have any broken bones but there will definitely be some bruising. On top of all that he does have an acute case of Influenza. It's a rarer strand, so it definitely wouldn't have been detected with normal means. However, I have a special formula for treating this specific strand, but he'll be asleep for a few days as a side-effect." She hands Sojiro a bag containing said medicine. "I'd like to do a follow-up examination when he regains consciousness in the morning. Make sure to give me a call when he does."

"Alright." Sojiro said.

"Once I do my follow-up examination, we can start administering doses of this medication. At that point, he'd just need to rest up and he'll be back in shape in no time." Takemi was confident when she said this.

"That is a relief to hear." Akechi no longer looked anxious. "Well, then, I must be off for tonight."

"Thanks again for your help." Sojiro looked at Akechi.

"It was no problem." With that, Akechi left.

"By the way, Sakura-san, I don't think taking him back to Leblanc's attic would be a good idea. The dusty atmosphere likely won't help him get better quickly." Takemi had a slightly more serious look on her face now. 

"I get that, but what about Futaba?"

"I understand your concern but she will be fine. If you talk to her about it, she'll be better prepared." Takemi's gaze didn't falter. "I know you don't want to force her to do things that isn't ready for, but she can't live like that forever. Who knows? Maybe this will end up helping her? Having someone her age around is usually a good place to start."

"...Alright. I'll talk with her." Sojiro knew from experience that when Takemi was not a woman who would take no for an answer, and she definitely wouldn't budge easily in this situation.

After that, Sojiro, with Takemi's help, was able to take Ren to his house and lay him on the couch. After he made sure Ren was tucked in, he went up the staircase. God, he hoped that this wouldn't make things worse.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note: This chapter has been rewritten since I've posted it. If you read the old version of this chapter, don't worry! It wasn't a complete rewrite, it was only towards the end.
> 
> Why'd I rewrite it? Because I felt Ren's behavior was too inconsistent, and too much of his old personality showed through without much provocation.
> 
> If you're reading this for the first time after I re-wrote it, then ignore my rambling =)  
> Either way, on with the story!

"...ster..." Ren heard a voice call out.

"...Huh...?" He was barely able to mumble out. His mind was fuzzy. Where was he?

"Trickster..." The voice called out again. With some effort, Ren was able to open his eyes, only to see that was literally nothing to see. Everything was just... black; an endless, empty void, save for himself and the shapeless figure before him.

"Wha...What in the...?" Steadily gaining his consciousness, Ren slowly began to process everything that was going on before him. "You're that thing from before... Inside that weird place..." Ren just stared at the shapeless mass, oddly calm, he realized, but didn't question it. It was all he was able to think about before his mind became fuzzy once again.

* * *

Pain.

That was the first thing that registered in his mind as he slowly gained consciousness.

"Ngh... what...?" He said, as he groaned in pain as he tried to sit himself up. "Ow..." Just sitting up was like he had run a marathon. Everything hurt. What happened? He tried his best to remember, and slowly the events of the previous day came back to him. As the memories came back, so did his mixture of fear, curiosity and anxiety, because he still didn't know what to make of what happened yesterday, or if they even happened at all. Though, they must have, because the pain he felt right now was definitely real.

As he was contemplating this, he began to hear footsteps coming towards the living room. It was Sojiro.

"Oh, hey. You're awake." He said. "How do you feel?"

"Like I got hit by a train..." Sojiro looked at him with sympathy.

"Well, just so you know, the doctor is coming later to check up on you. She said to call when you woke up."

"..." Ren wasn't exactly looking forward to it, but it wasn't like he could do anything about it.

"Oh, and, hey. I think there's something that I need to tell you. It might be better if you know about it so..." Ren's curiosity was piqued by this. "I have a daughter. Futaba." Ren was caught off guard by this, and his face showed it. "Her situation is... complicated, to say the least. That's why I never said anything about her, and why I made you stay in the cafe. I won't go into any details, but for reasons, she won't leave her room, and is scared by the presence of other people."

"Hikikomori..." Ren thought aloud, sympathy in his tone and expression. Sojiro nodded.

"The doctor and I thought it would be a good idea to let you know about her situation since you're gonna be here for a few days to recover. I'm gonna go give her a call real quick. Do you need anything?" Sojiro asked.

"Not really..." If there was one thing he needed, it was sleep. He was still exhausted after yesterday.

"Alright. By the way, I called the school and explained that you're not gonna be present for a bit. The doctor even agreed to provide a note should they try anything." After that, Sojiro left the room. Not knowing what else to do, Ren just laid back, trying to get comfortable. 

A while later he heard what sounded like someone knocking on a door. Then he heard footsteps, and then two voices - one was Sojiro, another was female, likely the doctor. He couldn't exactly make out what they were saying, but he had a general idea. 

A few moments later, the door opened to reveal a punk-rock looking woman wearing a white lab coat. Her nametag had the name Tae Takemi written on it.

"Ah, you're still alive. And here I was getting ready to file an autopsy report." She chuckled to herself. Ren didn't know how to react so he just kept a blank face. "Just kidding. So anyways, I'm sure Sakura-san already told you, but I'm the doctor from the clinic and I'm here to do a follow-up examination." After she says this, she moves one of the nearby chairs closer to the couch Ren was occupying. After sitting down and getting out a clipboard, she says, "Alright, I know this will be difficult, but you're going to need to sit up for this." Ren saw that coming, but it still annoyed him a bit.

"*groan* ok..." Ren unceremoniously forces himself upright.

"Good. Now, I need you to take off your shirt. I want to take a look and see if there's any visible bruising or other trauma." After examining him for a bit, she writes down some notes on her clipboard. "Okay..." She says aloud to no one in particular. With that, she does a few more tests for his reactions, senses, and to see if he has a concussion. "Okay..." She once again says to nobody specific. Then she gives him the okay to put his shirt back on.

"So, is that it?" Ren tried not to sound rude, but he was way too tired for all this.

"Yep. The examination's over. There's definitely more visible bruising than when I examined you last night, but that's to be expected. You don't have any broken bones, and surprisingly, you don't have a concussion. You must have a pretty thick skull." Ren looked at her questionably. "On top of that, you do have an acute case of Influenza - a rarer strand, no less, that's harder to treat. Luckily for you, though, I have medication specifically for treating that exact strand, so you'll recover relatively quickly. The medication does have a side effect that makes you sleepy, so you'll be asleep for most of this upcoming week. On top of that, I'll also prescribe some ointment that will help your injuries heal quicker." After this, she looks towards him as if to see if he has any questions. He doesn't have any.

"Just my luck..." Ren mumbles. Takemi chuckles to herself.

"One more thing." Her face suddenly becomes mildly serious. "You had a lot of bumps, bruises, and scrapes when I examined you. After an accident like what you had, that's normally expected, but there were a few scars and bruises I found that looked like they've been there for a while." Ren immediately knew what she was going to ask next. "I know you're probably not in the mood to hear this, but I am obligated to ask: How and why do you have those bruises? Did you get into a fight with someone? Was this self-inflicted? Or, did a parent or legal guardian do this?" Ren's face was downtrodden. "Answer the question, please. If you are being abused by a parent or legal guardian I am obligated to inform the authorities." 

Ren just sat there for a moment. He really didn't want to think about his life before now, especially after everything that happened the day before. After about a minute, Ren finally spoke up.

"It's... nothing. I got into a fight a long time ago... I'd rather not talk about it. Not right now, at least." He hoped his lie worked well enough. Takemi didn't look to buy it 100%, but she didn't protest further.

"Fine." She says. "I won't ask any more questions for now. With that aside, here's your medication for the flu, and this is the ointment." She hands him both respective medications. "Like I said before, the medication will have you sleep throughout most of the week. Sleep is the best medicine after all. Just rest up and then you'll be patched up in no time." 

"I can't wait..." As dry as this sounded, Ren genuinely couldn't wait to feel better. He'd only been conscious for about 30 minutes at most and already wanted to go back to sleep. The only thing that stopped him from doing that was a question that had been on Ren's mind. "By the way, Sakura-san said you'd provide a note should my school think I'm faking illness?" He asked wearily.

"Yep. Sakura-san didn't even need to tell me you went to Shujin Academy. As soon as Sakura-san started to explain the situation, I immediately had a feeling. Let me guess: Kobayakawa's still the principal there?" Ren nodded. "I figured. Some things never change..." After everything was completed, Takemi packed her things and left.

The rest of the day was a blur for Ren. As soon as Takemi left, Ren got up to use the bathroom, took the medicine and almost immediately fell asleep when he laid down. After making sure Ren was okay, Sojiro left to open Leblanc, albeit later than normal. The tiny bits and pieces Ren could remember were hazy at best, but there was one thing he could remember clearly: A flash of orange. What the orange flash was, he couldn't remember for the life of him.

The next thing he knew, it was the next day. He was groggy, his head was cloudy, and he still was in mild pain. He did feel a little better at least, so maybe there was some hope after all. Sojiro checked in on him like he did yesterday, and then left for Leblanc after Ren took the medicine. Once again, Ren fell asleep the second his head made contact with the pillow.

* * *

Ann Takamaki's walk to Shujin Academy felt different today. Maybe she was overthinking things, but she couldn't get the things they talked about two days prior out of her head. It didn't help that now on top of trying to get information on Madarame, the Phantom Thieves need to keep an eye on Ren Amamiya, the infamous transfer student. Other than the run-in they had with him a few weeks back, he seemed like a normal student, albeit on the stressed-out side of things. But the possibility of him having some form of involvement with the metaverse couldn't be overlooked.

Ann thought all of this while mindlessly walking into the school and to her class. She must have zoned out longer than she thought, because it was now time for class. The only problem was, Ren Amamiya was not present in school today. Ann and Morgana locked eyes, and both knew what each other were thinking. The events two days prior were one thing, but for Ren to then not show up for class was definitely suspicious. One thing was for sure, they would definitely be looking into this.

* * *

It didn't take long for Ren to notice a pattern form for the rest of the week: Wake up, use the bathroom, greet Sojiro, take the medicine, experience a weird medicine high then wake up the next day. Finally, it was Sunday, and he'd taken the last dose of Takemi's medicine the day before.

"So, how's that medicine been working? Do you feel any better? A whole week's already gone by." Sojiro was checking on Ren the same as usual.

"A week, huh? Honestly, from my perspective, It doesn't even feel like it's been two days. Every time I take the medicine, my head gets all cloudy and the next thing I know, it's apparently the next day. I do feel better though, at least. Plus, I don't feel as drowsy today." If anything, he felt better than ever, like a weight lifted off of him. "Actually, I think this is the best I've felt in a while."

"That's good to hear. The doctor said you should still take it easy, though, so try not to over-do it." Sojiro wore a grin on his face when he said this. 

"I won't." Ren grinned back. The rest of the day went by with Ren staying inside Sojiro's house, although he did go out from time to time just to walk around. Ren had just returned from one of said walks and had just sat down on the couch when he felt his phone vibrate. It was from an unknown number.

[Unknown user]: It's good to see you're feeling better. You didn't look too good before.

"What the...?" Whoever this was obviously knew he was sick the past week, but he didn't remember being in contact with anyone other than Sojiro or Takemi, but Sojiro didn't have his number saved and this didn't seem like something Takemi would say. As he thought about it, he suddenly remembered the flash of orange he saw during his initial daze. The more he thought about it, the more the image almost looked like... someone's hair? Orange hair? 

Suddenly it clicked in his mind. There was only one other person living here and he never actually saw them. This was likely Sojiro's daughter, Futaba.

[Ren]: So, I take it you're Futaba-chan?

[Unknown user]: How did you...?

[Ren]: Sakura-san told me he had a daughter that lived here.

[Ren]: I just guessed because you're the only person other than Sakura-san or Takemi-san I could think of that would know that I was here, let alone that I was sick.

[Futaba]: You're smarter than you look.

[Ren]: Thanks...?

[Futaba]: It was a compliment =/

[Futaba]: So... what else did Sojiro say about me...?

Seeing this, Ren knew he had to choose his words carefully. Even if he didn't know the whole situation, Ren could tell that Futaba was sensitive, and he didn't want to set her off.

[Ren]: All he told me was that he had a daughter living here.

[Ren]: He didn't tell me anything else. 

[Ren]: It seemed too personal to ask further, so I didn't.

[Futaba]: I see...

When nothing happened for about a minute, Ren began to think about the situation a bit. Futaba's a hikikomori. She won't leave her room, and she is scared by the presence of strangers. But then, why was she contacting him now? How did she even get his chat ID? There were so many layers to the situation here. He decided to change the subject a bit.

[Ren]: Question: How did you get my chat ID?

[Futaba]: I have my ways... 😉

 _"Ominous..."_ Ren thought.

[Ren]: Why did you reach out to me?

  
  
It wasn't meant to be mean, but when Futaba didn't respond right away, he wondered if he maybe went a little too far. With her last response, he forgot she isn't exactly a people person.

[Ren]: Sorry...

[Ren]: It wasn't meant to be mean, I was just curious

[Ren]: You don't have to answer if you don't want to

Only then did more chat bubbles pop up indicating that Futaba was typing

[Futaba]: No, it's fine

[Futaba]: Honestly, I'm not really sure either

[Futaba]: It's hard to explain...

[Ren]: I think I get it. You don't have to push yourself

[Futaba]: Thanks

[Ren]: No problem. Talking to people can be rough

[Futaba]: Truth

[Futaba]: Oh. It seems you have a friend at LeBlanc.

[Futaba]: It seems he's looking for you.

_"'He'?"_ Ren thought to himself. He didn't have any friends at school, so that was out of the question. The only male person from school he 'knows' is Sakamoto, but he wouldn't know where Ren lives. Maybe it was Akechi? Yeah, that made more sense.

[Futaba]: You should go see him.

[Futaba]: But before that... Can I talk to you again sometime?

[Futaba]: Talking like this was actually kinda nice...

[Ren]: Of course. If you ever need to talk, feel free :)

[Futaba]: Thanks...

The interaction with Futaba made Ren realize that she sort of reminds him of himself, almost, back before he ended up here. He couldn't describe it. Either way, he ended up walking over to LeBlanc. It was becoming the evening, so he didn't think there would be too many customers. And he was right. The only customers that were there were the usual elderly couple. Only this time, a familiar boy was sitting on one of the bar stools. It was Akechi. Both Akechi and Sojiro looked his way when he entered the cafe.

"Oh, hey Ren." Sojiro greeted with a smile.

"Ah, Amamiya-kun. I assume you've recovered?" Akechi asked. He was smiling as well.

"For the most part. I'm still a little sore but other than that I'm great."

"Wonderful! I admit I was worried after everything that transpired."

"So you went out of your way to check up on me? Flattering." Ren had a cheeky grin on his face. This obviously caught Akechi off guard. He looked stunned for a moment before recomposing himself.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay after your accident." His face was neutral as he said this. "You seem different than before. Did something happen?" Now it was Ren's turn to be caught off guard.

"Different? How?" Ren asked.

"I saw you for a brief moment when I walked by you. From what little I saw, your mannerisms were different. I don't quite know how to describe it."

"Stalking me now too, eh?" Ren once again had a cheeky grin on his face. Akechi's face turned deadpan.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"I have no idea what you mean! *chuckle*" Ren was having way more fun than he should've, and he had no shame in admitting it to himself. But, Akechi's question did cause him to think for a brief moment. He seemed different? To be fair, he was sick at the time, so that could be why. "And, to answer your question, I guess it was because I was sick at the time, though I didn't know how bad it was. I was tired from everything that was happening as well, so maybe it caused me to act differently without me realizing."

"It's quite possible. I'm sorry if the question was a little out of the blue." Akechi's smile returned once again. 

"No worries." The rest of their time was spent with idle chat. When Akechi eventually left, Ren helped Sojiro with the cafe until it closed. Surprisingly, there weren't a lot of dishes today, so Ren decided to use the cleaning tools in the bathroom. He cleaned the floor, wiped down the tables, etc.

"Alright. That's everything finished." Sojiro took off his apron and put it away. "If you need to, you can stay over at my house for a little bit longer."

"No, thanks. I'll be fine. I've got school tomorrow, and I feel like being in this setting will help me ease back into the schedule a little better." Ren's face was neutral as he said this. He really didn't want to go back to school. While he was happier than ever here, his treatment at school never failed to sully his mood in complicated ways. Half of him didn't even want to know the rumors surrounding him, but the other half was curious to see just how ludicrous they would be.

"You're sure?" Sojiro asked again.

"I'm sure. Thanks for the offer, though. Plus, I don't want to put too much stress on Futaba-chan. I know how tough situations like hers can be." For a brief moment, Ren felt genuine sadness - mostly because of how Futaba's situation reminded him of his homelife.

"I see. Well, I'll be going then. I'll lock up for you."

"Thanks." Ren's face was once again neutral. After Sojiro left, Ren went upstairs to change and go to bed. The thoughts about tomorrow were tiring him out. 

* * *

The next day arrived way too quickly for Ren's liking. As soon as he heard his alarm go off, the reality of him having to go back to school set in, and he wasn't exactly pleased with the thought. Despite this, Ren got ready for the day the same as usual and went downstairs to have some coffee and curry. It didn't take Sojiro long to notice his sour mood.

"Anything I can do?" Sojiro asked. 

"Hm? For what?" Ren asked back.

"It doesn't take a genius to see you're not all that happy. I assume it's because of your school?"

"Yeah... But it's not like there's much you CAN do. People are gonna talk no matter what." Now Sojiro's mood was starting to sour. Sensing this, Ren added, "I'll be fine. If things get too hectic I can go to see the therapist. He can probably do something to take my mind off things." Ren faked a smile. If Sojiro saw through it, he didn't comment on it. Then Ren looked at the time.

"Shoot! I gotta go. I don't want to be late. Thanks for the food!" Ren all but raced out the door. He did NOT want to be late on his first day back. 

After his sprint burst to the station, he got on the train as usual. At first, everything seemed like it normally was, until he arrived at Shibuya station, when he saw two familiar blonde-haired students waiting for the train together. If this was an omen of some kind, Ren didn't like it. 

Because he didn't want to interact with his two former(?) stalkers, Ren jumped into the line of people that was furthest from them. Eventually the train arrived, and things continued from there. Throughout the rest of the trip to school, Ren made absolutely sure to stay out of sight of Takamaki and Sakamoto. He still wasn't fully recovered, and he had neither the energy nor the patience to deal with them. On top of that, he found that he had a genuine feeling of nervousness at the thought of returning to school. Not wanting to draw attention to himself, he just kept his head down and tried to hold a blank expression, though it was downtrodden at best.

When Ren finally got to school, he could instantly tell that people were eyeing him - even more so than before, if that was possible. As much as he didn't want to, he silently listened to whatever rumors the other students were telling each other.

_"Did you hear? I heard he had a change of heart_   
_and turned himself in to the police, which is why_   
_he was absent last week!"_

_"Woah, seriously?! Then why is he here now?"_

_"Supposedly he was released on a lack of evidence,_   
_even though he insisted that he was guilty."_

_"Man, that's incredible! Maybe the Phantom_   
_Thieves really did change his heart!"_

_"I dunno, I still feel anxious. He *was*_   
_arrested for assault, right? What is he's_   
_still dangerous?"_

_"Who knows? Actually, now that I look at him, he *does*_   
_seem different than before. Maybe he really did change."_

So, even though he supposedly had a change of heart, he was somehow still potentially dangerous? Doesn't that conflict with how Kamoshida's heart was changed? Instead of acknowledging the gossiping students, he continued on his way. The more he thought about it, the more his conversation from last night with Akechi came back to him.

_*** Flashback *** _

"I wanted to make sure you were okay after your accident. You seem different than before. Did something happen?"

"Different? How?" 

"I saw you for a brief moment when I walked by you. From what little I saw, your mannerisms were different. I don't quite know how to describe it."

"Stalking me now too, eh?" 

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"I have no idea what you mean! *chuckle* And, to answer your question, I guess it was because I was sick at the time, though I didn't know how bad it was. I was tired from everything that was happening as well, so maybe it caused me to act differently without me realizing."

"It's quite possible. I'm sorry if the question was a little out of the blue." 

_*** Flashback *** _

He seemed different, huh? The more he thought about it, other than his current sense of nervousness, his mind did feel slightly clearer than before, like he wasn't lying to himself anymore. Most likely it was because of everything that happened with that strange world, and that entity that claimed it was him, his Shadow or whatever. It didn't matter, though. It was his first day back, and he did not want to let one rumor ruin his mood. With that said and done, he headed for class.

Needless to say, his apparent new demeanor did not go unnoticed, as he could already hear more rumors about his supposed change of heart. At least it was better than everyone calling him a criminal and so on, Ren wanted to believe.

Not having anything to do while he sat in his chair waiting for class to start, Ren pulled out his phone and did whatever. Then, Takamaki walked in. As soon as she sat down, her cat jumped into her desk (seriously, how had nobody else noticed that thing?), they looked at each other for a moment, and she turned around.

He saw all of this through his peripheral vision and hoped that he wouldn't need to acknowledge her.

"Um, hey Amamiya-kun." She tried a friendly greeting. No response. Ren still had his gaze fixed on his phone. She tried again. "Hey there, Amamiya-kun."

 _"Damn it... here we go..."_ Ren thought as he looked up.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you need something Takamaki-san?" He answered neutrally. Takamaki looked genuinely startled for whatever reason, but then (very badly) tried to mask it with a friendly smile.

"Oh, no, nothing really. You just... looked like you needed someone to talk to?" The last part of the sentence and her (very obvious) fake smile told a whole different story. 

"..." Ren unknowingly shared the look of utter disbelief with the feline inside Takamaki's desk. "Okay...? Is there anything in particular you wanted to talk about?"

"Oh, nothing really! I just *really* wanted to check up on you! *awkward laugh*" The questioning look he gave her was a genuine one. From within the desk, Morgana mentally facepalmed. There was no way this kid was falling for such a bad act. He almost felt sorry for him in a way. "Are you feeling okay? You seem different today."

_"Again with someone saying I seem different."_

"You know, you're not the first to comment on that, actually..." Takamaki seemed to ignore this statement.

"Why were you absent last week? Is everything okay?" This question had a bit more emphasis, Ren noted. This is the question she really wants to know the answer to. Seeing as he has no intention of telling her the recent events (or anything, really) of his life, he decided to have a little fun with this. 

"Haven't you heard the rumors? According to them, I had a change of heart and turned myself in to the police. Some even say I broke down crying all dramatic like too." His face began to form a grin.

"W-well, yeah, but I'm asking if they're true. Is that what really happened?" Yet again, there was that strange emphasis that she probably didn't even realize she was showing. For some reason, she really wanted to know what happened.

"Why the sudden interest? Am I really that interesting?" Takamaki was persistent, he'll give her that, but Ren was just as persistent on not telling her anything. Plus, he was already starting to have a little too much fun.

"Oh uhh... Yeah...! I'm really curious! Won't you please tell me what happened?" 

Ren honestly couldn't believe she actually just went along with that. Was this meant to seduce him? If so, it wasn't working. As much as Ren wanted to keep going with this, he was starting to get worried about on-lookers. Luckily enough, though, the other students didn't seem to be interested in whatever this was, but that didn't mean that it would stay that way. Takamaki didn't seem to notice, and kept up her strategy. 

"Please Amamiya-kun? I *really* want to get to know you better~" 

Ren kept the grin on his face. "Who's to say if the rumors are true or not? Maybe I did have a change of heart, or maybe I didn't. I'll leave it up to you to decide which one is the truth." Ren hoped that would send the message that he wasn't going to tell her anything. What he didn't realize, though, was that what he just said bothered her.

"Hey, Amamiya-kun, would you like to hang out later with me and my friends?" She suddenly asked. What really caught Ren off guard, though, was that she immediately dropped that horrible act of hers.

"Huh? Me?" Ren fell silent. This question was out of the blue, so he decided to think on it for a moment. Takamaki and Sakamoto were the ones who changed Kamoshida's heart. Then, they followed him around, and he later found out that he was listed as a target on that weird phansite, so it was likely that they were following him to gather evidence to change his heart. Then, there was the whole situation that happened last week, with that whole alternate reality thing. If he put two and two together, maybe that world was how they changed hearts, with those Shadow things. And because they never changed his heart, and he just told a member of the Phantom Thieves to decide whether or not they actually changed his heart, she was trying to see if he actually knew their secret. _"Damn it..."_ Just when he thought he could catch a break... but not all hope was lost. Maybe he could come up with a plan B.

"Amamiya-kun?" Takamaki broke their silence.

"Oh, sorry. I don't have anything planned later, so I guess I could." His face was still thoughtful.

"Alright, good!" Her voice was filled with genuine enthusiasm. From within her desk, Morgana couldn't believe that this terrible act had worked not once, but twice!

Not long after their conversation ended, The teacher walked in and class started. Nothing else of note happened for the rest of school. He mainly used the downtime to think of a way to get Takamaki and Sakamoto off his back. Class finally ended, and by then he felt he had a decent yet simple plan.

"So I assume we're meeting Sakamoto-san and another friend of yours?" 

"Yep!" She cheerfully announced as she pulled out her phone. "I'm just gonna let them know and then we can go hang out!" Ren already knew 'hanging out' was not the real motive here, but he wasn't going to say anything. Regardless, Ann brought out her phone and began texting Sakamoto and this other mysterious person.

Group Chat: Phantom Thieves of Hearts

[Ann]: I have Amamiya-kun with me.

[Ann]: He agreed when I asked him to come hang out with us

[Ryuji]: For real?! Just like that!?

[Ann]: The thing is, he's acting totally different today

[Yusuke]: Apologies, but who is this Amamiya you speak of?

[Ann]: He's the one we told you about before.

[Yusuke]: I see. Do you wish to ask him why he was absent the week previous?

[Ann]: I tried that already, and it's what I meant about him acting different

[Ryuji]: Different how?

[Ann]: There's a ton of rumors about him apparently having a change of heart

[Ann]: Since we never targeted him, I asked him for the real reason why he was absent last week.

[Ann]: That's when I noticed something was different

[Ann]: He was way more upbeat and joyful today, and not at all bothered by the rumors it felt like

[Ryuji]: Wait, upbeat and joyful? We're talking about the same Amamiya, right? 

[Ann]: That's what I thought too. You'll see in a second Ryuji.

[Ann]: But the thing I'm worried about is what he said to me

[Ann]: When I asked him if the rumors were true, he said 'Maybe I did have a change of heart, or maybe I didn't. I'll leave it up to you to decide which one is the truth'

[Yusuke]: That is concerning. He doesn't know you are a Phantom Thief, does he?

[Ann]: That's what I'm trying to find out

[Ryuji]: Just when shit was already complicated

With that out of the way, Ann put her phone away, Morgana jumped in her bag, and she turned around to face Amamiya. 

"Okay! We're done! Ready to go?"

"Uh, yeah. Oh, before we go, I've been meaning to ask." Ann looked at him curiously. "Is there a reason you carry a cat in your bag? Let alone keep him in your desk?" It was a genuine question. Phantom thief or not, it was still way out of the ordinary.

"Oh, yeah..." There was no getting out of this one. "This is Morgana. I carry him with me because... he's my therapy cat...?" She tried to smile to cover up her awkward act, but it only made it more awkward. 'Morgana' seemed to share the sentiment, as he sunk deeper into the bag. Also, 'him?'? Wasn't Morgana a girl's name?

"Okay..." Ren didn't believe it for a second, but he didn't feel the need to question further. "...Is there a reason he glares at me a lot in class? It seems like he doesn't like me."

"Oh, he does? I'm sorry, I guess he's not really a people kinda cat." 

"Hey!" Ren suddenly heard a high-pitched voice from within her bag. It startled him, but he tried to mask it.

"See? He doesn't like it when I talk about him to other people." She laughs for a second. 

_"Wait, then that voice was the cat's?"_ He had a feeling that addressing the fact that her cat could talk would only put him under more suspicion, so he left it alone.

"Y-yeah, I can see. I guess cats are pretty smart." With nothing else left to be said, they both fell into an awkward silence. Luckily, the silence didn't last long as Takamaki quickly announced their departure.

"Anyways, let's go! Come on, we can meet Ryuji on the way!"  
  
When they walked into the hallway, Ann immediately noted Ren's demeanor. The way he walked, stood, and looked around is totally different than before. What used to be a kid who always seemed so stressed to the point of being passive-aggressive is now a kid who was laid back, upbeat and even somewhat joyful. It didn't take long for Ren to realize that Ann was staring at him.

"What is it? Why're you staring at me like that?" 

"Oh! It's nothing!" A lie. A very obvious one. Ren really just wanted to get them out of his hair. If he played his cards right, this 'hangout' would achieve just that. Eventually, they met up with Sakamoto.

"'Sup."He casually greeted while not-so-subtly looking over Ren's appearance.

"Hey." Ren continued to act like he was ignorant of the situation. Even Sakamoto looked taken aback, though he didn't voice it. Not much happened from this point up until they reached the overpass in Shibuya. There, he saw a boy around their age with blue hair waiting for them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I totally forgot to mention this above, but as I read through the previous chapters, I realized that there was a major plothole regarding Ren's money status. Originally I didn't want Ren to have a part-time job until a bit later into the story, but then I found that I unknowingly fell back to the pattern of Ren visiting a place that costs money (like the diner or bathhouse, for example) a little too often to be believable. So, I went back and added a sub-plot where Ren gets a job at Rafflesia so that Ren wouldn't just magically have money whenever the plot needed him to.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back (again)! Sorry about how long this took to get out. Personal drama, lack of motivation, blah blah blah, and then when I did finish writing it, I decided that I didn't really like how I wrote Ren in the previous chapter, so I fixed that, which, in turn, also made me re-write this chapter as well because it was originally just one chapter (seriously, I have a habit of doing that)
> 
> Also: Quick note, like I just said above, the previous chapter has received a rewrite. Nothing major, but if you haven't read the updated version, I highly recommend doing so. It wasn't a complete rewrite, mainly just towards the end because I didn't like how I characterized Ren.
> 
> Either way, enjoy! :D

"Hey, Yusuke!" Takamaki called out.

"Hello. I assume that this is Amamiya?" He looks over towards Ren, who nods. "Greetings. I am Yusuke Kitagawa. I am a student at Kosei high studying in the fine arts program." He greeted.

"Ren Amamiya. Anyways, why'd you guys call me out like this? Takamaki-san said it was for a hangout, but..." He looked around the group - mainly Takamaki and Sakamoto - to gauge their reactions. "I'm guessing the real reason is that you wanted to ask about the rumors surrounding me?" Their silence all but answered for them. When both Takamaki and Sakamoto didn't answer right away, Kitagawa spoke up. 

"That is correct. Ann and Ryuji wished to know the actual reason for your absence the previous week." He stated bluntly.

"Wha...?! // Yusuke...!" Sakamoto and Takamaki both reacted. 

"I figured as much... Why do you want to know so bad?" His tone was now neutral.

"We... We just want to make sure you're okay...! Ryuji and I know what it's like to be on the receiving end of rumors at Shujin, and when we saw you were in pretty much the same situation, we wanted to make sure you were doing okay." 

"And you're just now reaching out to me because...?" Ren raised an eyebrow.

"Well, we *tried* before, but you basically told us to fuck off!" Ryuji yelled.

"Ryuji!" Takamaki scolded the blonde male. Ren chuckled, both genuine and with a mild hint of bitterness.

"Oh? You reached out to me in order to help me? If you're talking about what happened in the courtyard, 'Sakamoto-kun'," Sakamoto flinched at his tone. "Let me recount what actually happened. I was minding my own business with my earbuds in, walked to the vending machine, you got *in my face* and accused me of eavesdropping some conversation I didn't even know was happening, I denied it, and then I proved it when I took out my earbuds. The only part I recall telling you to 'fuck off' was when I told you to get out of my personal space. Sound about right?" Ren was smiling, though it was clear that their lie did not fall on blind eyes.

"Apologies, but I do believe that we are getting sidetracked." Kitagawa said, noting that Ren seemed to be losing patience. "I know this is none of our business, especially seeing as you and I only just met, but I am curious about the actual reason behind your absence the week previous. I am certain that Ann and Ryuji meant no harm in asking you here, although more pleasant words could have been said." He not-so-subtly eyed Ryuji as he said this last part.

"Fine... If you *must* know, I was walking through Station Square when I was pushed down the giant flight of stairs by a group of high school students that were screwing around and not paying attention. Apparently, on top of all that, I was sick, and I spent the next week recovering in what could probably be the equivalent of a medically-induced coma." After a few seconds of silence and looking at their faces, Ren added, "Anything else?"

"Oh my gosh, that sounds horrible! You're okay now though, right?" Takamaki's concern was genuine.

"Yeah, dude, that sounds rough..." Sakamoto's did as well.

"Eh. Don't really remember much." Ren shrugged.

"I believe I heard that those students were from my school. I do apologize for that."

"Not your fault, but thanks. Can I go now?" Takamaki apparently had one last thing to say.

"Wait, hold on." Ren looked at her. "I know I said this before, but you do seem different. Did something else happen?" Another honest question.

"Well, like I said before, you're not the first to comment on that." Ren wore a thinking face. "I mean, now that you mention it, I guess my mind does feel a bit different than before. I don't know how to describe it, really, almost like something was lifted from me. I definitely didn't feel like this before everything happened, though." He pauses for a brief moment. Then, with a false somber look, he adds, "Who knows? Maybe the Phantom Thieves really did change my heart... What for, though, I haven't got a clue. Oh well." He made sure to choose his words carefully. He didn't want them to know that he knew their secret. It seemed to work, as all three of them looked at him with mixed expressions. "...What?"

"Oh, nothing! It's just... Wow... I didn't realize you were going through so much, Amamiya-kun..."

"You have no idea..." Ren semi-deadpanned, and then immediately regained his laid-back attitude. "If that's all, I'm gonna go. I'm tired after everything today." With that, he just walked off without giving them a chance to say anything else.

* * *

The three (four, including Morgana) of them stood there in silence as they watched Ren walk into the giant crowd that was Shibuya's overpass until he finally disappeared entirely. It was Ann that broke the silence.

"So, I guess that confirms that something happened. But we still don't know what that is." She glanced around at the other two males and then looked at Morgana. "Any ideas, Mona?"

"I don't know what it is just yet, but we do know that the metaverse is involved somehow. First, his Shadow disappeared from Mementos, then his newfound behavior, and then he even admitted that something felt different. There's no way it's a coincidence."

"Man, I don't get this shit! What does all this mean? Why can't this stuff just be simple for a change?" Ryuji's frustration was shared among the others as well.

"This may be off-topic, but what is this 'Mementos' place you speak of?" Morgana answered this.

"It's complicated and we'll talk more about it later, but basically, it's where we can change the hearts of common criminals. People like Madarame are different because they have bigger distortions."

"I see. I don't quite understand just yet, but you are saying that Amamiya-san's Shadow disappeared?" This time Ann answered his question.

"Yeah. From what Mona told us, a Shadow disappearing from Mementos only happens when either someone works through their own distortion, they formed a palace, or they accepted the Shadow as a Persona. We've already ruled out that he sorted out his distortions, with his behavior from before and now him basically confirming it with what he said, and we already checked and saw he doesn't have a palace."

"So if what you're saying is true, then the only other option would be that Amamiya-san is also a Persona-user?" 

"But wait, then wouldn't that mean he has the app too then? How would he have even gotten it?" Ryuji asked.

"For once, Ryuji brings up a good point." After a brief 'Hey!' from Ryuji, Morgana continued on. "At the moment, him being a Persona-user is the only explanation I can think of."

"From my point of view, it doesn't seem entirely impossible." Yusuke's sudden claim makes the three of them look at him. "He attends Shujin Academy with you two, so would it not be possible for him to suddenly receive the app like you did as well?" 

"But then why would he lie to us? Plus, we didn't see anyone else at that fuckin' pervert's castle. God, this is way too hard! Can't this shit just be simple for once?!"

"I guess it's possible for him to have accidentally gotten the app but doesn't know we're the Phantom Thieves... but then that wouldn't explain his behavior or what he said... *groan* Here, I know this will sound sudden, but I think we should go back to focusing on Madarame." This definitely got everyone's attention, and they looked at her with mixed gazes. "Following Amamiya-kun around hasn't gotten us anywhere and I don't want to wait out this deadline. Plus, it doesn't seem like he'll be a potential danger to us, given the way he was acting. Even if he is, though, we can deal with him later."

With some reluctance, they each shifted over to focusing on how to deal with Madarame. They were over half-way there at this point, but that didn't mean that they could slack off now.

* * *

After the day ended, Ren couldn't wait to go back to Leblanc and forget the day's events. He'd seen most of it coming, but it was still tiring to deal with. When he walked in, he'd volunteered to help Sojiro with the cafe for the rest of the afternoon. The cafe only had a few customers, most of which he recognized. The elderly couple was once again occupying their booth, and a woman who liked Leblanc's curry and usually tried to sweet-talk Sojiro out of the recipe was in another booth. The only customer he didn't recognize was a black-haired woman sitting on one of the bar stools. The most noteworthy thing about her appearance was a set of goggles on her head. After Ren returned downstairs after changing, Sojiro tried to start a small conversation.

"Long day?" Sojiro asked.

"A little... but it was fine for the most part." Ren deadpanned. Sojiro looked on in sympathy.

"Hm... There still rumors going around?"

"Oh yeah. The students had a field day of sharing stories about what possibly happened. Nothing new, really. Shujin Academy loves its rumors and hearsay." Ren genuinely chuckled at how ridiculous the truth was. Sojiro wasn't offended, but did mentally facepalm for bringing up a potentially touchy subject.

"Uh... Sorry, if I just brought your mood down."

"Hm? Oh, no it's fine. I'm not mad or anything, it's just that I don't even know where to begin with half of the stories I've heard. It's a little tiring..." Ren sounded like he was being genuine, so Sojiro didn't pry further.

"This might be a strange question, but have you been looking for a job? Not that I'm kicking you out, or anything, it's just that I don't want you to waste all your free time here."

"I had one before, but it didn't last too long. Some students found out I worked there and started spreading rumors, and I left before the rumors could seriously impact the store's reputation. I've been looking for a new one, but I haven't found anything that I want. I've been trying to look for something that's further away from school so there's a less likely chance of my classmates following me there with the sole intent of getting me fired."

"..." Again, Sojiro hit a dead-end conversation-wise. Ren really didn't have much going for him. Sojiro didn't pry further; he didn't want to hit another touchy subject.

"Hey, sorry to eavesdrop, but did you say that you went to Shujin Academy?" The woman with goggles spoke up. She was looking at Ren.

"Uhh... Yeah, why?" 

"I'm a journalist. I've been looking for some good stories to write about, and I've heard about some interesting things happening in this area, which is why I'm here now. Back on topic, though, I was wondering if I could ask you about some things about the school." Sojiro eyed Ren wearily.

"If you're asking about things with Kamoshida, you're better off asking someone else. I don't know anything that hasn't already been said." It was true. The only thing that Ren really knew about Kamoshida before the incident was that he didn't like Ren, but that could be applied to a bunch of people.

"I see. In that case, you heard of those Phantom Thieves of Hearts?"

"It's all anyone at school talks about at the moment. I don't know much else." 

"Well then, have you heard about their website? Apparently people leave requests for someone to have a change of heart." Ren had a feeling he knew where this was going. "Most comments are just spam and stuff like that, but up until recently there was a target everyone seemed to agree on." Aaaand here it comes... "Ren Amamiya, the delinquent transfer student. But it seems like something happened, because he's no longer being requested. I think I even saw one saying something about him having a change of heart. Know any details?"

Ren just stood there with his eyes closed for a moment. Sojiro looked even more sympathetic than before. It looked like the elderly couple was listening in on the conversation now as well. The curry-loving woman had left at some point.

"I can tell you for a fact that the rumors about the transfer student are false. The students of Shujin Academy love to make up these ridiculous rumors about anything and everything. All Amamiya has done ever since he's arrived is try to keep his head down and stay away from people. He hasn't done anything wrong, and has no intention of changing that. You can even ask him right now if you want." Ren took off his apron and leaned onto the counter with a friendly smile. "Hey, I'm Ren Amamiya. I heard you wanted to ask me something?"

The woman was obviously not expecting the revelation.

"Oh... I'm sorry. I didn't realize..." She seemed to run out of things to say from there.

"It's fine. Rumors about me are nothing new, and you didn't know me." Ren's face was neutral.

"Oh dear. It seems like you've been through quite a lot young man." The elderly woman spoke up. "Are you doing okay?"

"I'm okay, really. I could do without the rumors, but I'm fine otherwise. Just a bit tired after last week." The elderly man spoke up this time.

"That's good to hear. It's rough out there these days... Times truly have changed." Ren nodded. Not long after, the goggle-wearing woman began to speak once again.

"Oh, another thing I wanted to ask you." Ren turned back to her. "I heard you're looking for a part-time job, right?" This piqued Ren's interest, but was suspicious at the same time.

"Yeah...?"

"Well, I have a friend who could use some part-time help. The work isn't hard, and she'll pay you above average. It's in the evening, though." She was smiling now. Somehow this all felt too good to be true.

"...And where is this job?" Ren raised an eyebrow.

"In a bar named 'Crossroads'. It's in Shinjuku." She was still smiling until she saw both Ren's and Sojiro's faces. "What? The bar is open to minors, and you wouldn't be doing anything illegal!" Both Ren and Sojiro looked to not be taking her seriously.

"Listen... I appreciate the offer, but I don't know you, for one, and two, I really don't think it's a good idea for me to work there." Sojiro seemed to share the sentiment.

"I have to agree. The nightlife there can be... out there."

"Okay, okay, I'll give you that. But give it a chance! If it's the nightlife you're worried about, you can always stop by during the day and talk to her. Lala-chan is super trustworthy. She won't let anything happen."

"..." Ren would be lying if he said he wasn't surprised by her insisting that he take this job. Either way, it was out of the question in Ren's mind. "Sorry, but I'll have to pass."

"You're sure?" She asked him one last time.

"I'm sure." The woman seemed to back down at this point. She went back to finish whatever it was she was doing and after a bit, she got up and started to leave, but not before sliding Ren a card from her pocket.

"I know I said this before, but I'm a journalist. I'm looking for whatever big scoops I can find. If you ever find one and feel like sharing, feel free to give me a call." With that, she left.

"She was persistent," Ren said after a moment.

"Seriously." Sojiro agreed.

It was now becoming night, and Ren couldn't wait to get to bed. He was more than exhausted and he also had a school cleanup coming up. Great. After helping Sojiro clean/lock up, Ren wasted no time in unceremoniously throwing himself on the futon and falling asleep faster than his brain could realize it. Wow, he really must have been tired.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back (again)! [How many times have I used this intro in the notes now?] Anyways! As per usual, sorry for the delay of the chapter. Not much to say about this chapter, really, so let's get to it!

Over the next few days, Ren made sure to avoid the members of the Phantom Thieves as much as possible. Luckily enough, none of them made any attempts to approach him directly, though he still caught a few glares from Morgana while in class. It didn't matter. 

The day after Ren had seemed to get the Phantom Thieves off his trail, he went to see Dr. Maruki after class, seeing as he didn't want to seem like he was skipping his 'appointments'. 

"It's open!" Ren recognized that cheerful greeting. He opened the door and walked inside. "Oh, Amamiya-kun! Welcome." Ren didn't blame Maruki for his slight shock.

"Hey." He said. "I'm sorry it's been a while, I just had things going on."

"That's perfectly fine. I heard a little bit from the faculty, though they didn't tell me much. Anyways, what brings you here today?" Maruki asked with his usual friendly tone.

"Oh, I heard that I was scheduled for today. And given that I was out for the entirety of last week, I didn't really want to push my luck too much." Ren said jokingly.

"I see. Well then, is there anything that's on your mind?"

"Not much, really. Though, I am curious. What did the school say I was out for?"

"I heard it was something to do with illness, with something else mixed in apparently. Why?"

"Oh, no reason. It's just that, 'illness' was definitely only one factor, 'with something else mixed in.'" Ren sweat dropped while still smiling.

"Oh?" Maruki prompted.

"Well, after our first meeting, I noticed that I wasn't exactly feeling 100%. I'd felt it before, but this was when it really started to hit me hard. I powered through the day, but it was more than obvious that I was failing to concentrate. Actually, I think you asked me a question on that day."

"Oh, right. The question about the placebo effect. I do remember that. Sorry if I added some stress to your situation." Maruki added.

"Oh, no it's fine. Anyway, I kinda got sidetracked there, sorry."

Ren proceeded to recount the rest of the events that played out. It turns out that saying it out loud sounded just as ridiculous as it had in his head. It sounded like a plot to some manga and not something that would happen in real life.

"...And then I get back to school to find out from the rumors that apparently everything I just told you didn't actually happen. Instead, I had a change of heart from the Phantom Thieves, broke down crying in some yet-to-be-named public area where I subsequently turned myself in to the police, only for them to release me on a lack of evidence, despite my confession." Ren could only smile once he finished, then break into a chuckle when he saw Maruki's reaction.

"...Wow. You weren't kidding when you said 'illness' was only one factor. You're okay though, right?" Maruki's genuine concern was appreciated.

"Oh yeah. I'm doing a lot better now. Before, I was still a bit sore, and I still am, but it's getting better."

"That's good." He looks at his watch. "Okay, we still have some time left. Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

"Nah, not really. Nothing much else happened. Plus, it was kinda fun recalling what happened, even though living through it was definitely less than pleasant. It's not every day you get to tell a life story that sounds completely fictional but is actually true."

"I guess that's fair." Maruki chuckled. "Well, if that's all, then you're free to go."

"Alright." Ren gathered his belongings and said goodbye to Maruki before leaving the school grounds.

* * *

The next day was just a normal day, though Ren did have another follow-up at Takemi's clinic. For the most part, he was better, although he still couldn't do anything over-the-top, not that he'd planned to anyway. 

The next few days were spent with Ren mostly helping out in the cafe like usual. It was a quiet couple of days, but Ren didn't mind. He actually found Akechi came to visit Leblanc a few times, saying that it was his new 'go-to cafe'. They mostly made small talk, though Ren took every opportunity to tease Akechi, which did not go unreturned. 

Tonight was the night before the school's clean-up of Inokashira Park. It was a quieter day, with a noticeable lack of customers, though neither Ren nor Sojiro paid much mind to it. Akechi had once again stopped by earlier, and he and Ren had once again started talking about nothing in particular.

"Hey, Akechi."

"Yes, what is it?" Akechi looked at him.

"Not to sound mean or anything, but I noticed that you've been hanging around here a lot lately. Is there any reason in particular?" Ren's face began to form a smirk, but kept it subtle for the moment.

"Oh? No, no reason in particular. The atmosphere here is quite nice, and I'll admit I do find your company a decent change of pace." Akechi said genuinely.

"Ah-ha!" Ren didn't hide his smirk now. "So you admit it."

"...Admit what? What are you scheming this time?" Akechi was now deadpan.

"You said you came here for the atmosphere, but you just admitted that you actually came here because you're falling for me!" Ren began to giggle. Akechi, realizing that he had unknowingly walked right into Ren's trap, sputtered for a second, and then sighed. "Admit it. You can't get enough of me!"

"I'm starting to wonder if helping you back here was a mistake after all." Akechi now had a slight grin on his face.

"The best mistake one could ever make."

Sojiro just looked on from the sidelines while chuckling to himself. Watching Ren and Akechi when they got like this was actually pretty entertaining. It was also nice to see that Ren had made a friend, though he'd never admit that.

"You truly are something else. Though I will admit, it is still a nice change of pace from my daily life. Workdays can be quite stressful."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me. I've been meaning to ask for a while but, where do you work at?" Ren and Akechi both look at each other.

"Oh, you never realized? I admit I'm a bit shocked to find that out. You don't pay attention to the news or anything?"

"Not really, no. I think I told you before that I only moved here about two months ago, right?" Akechi nods. "Well, it was a pretty stressful time for me, so I guess I never really found the time or energy to pay attention to events going on around me."

"I see. Well then, I am a detective."

"Oh." Ren was more than a little taken aback. Actually, now that he thought about it... "Wait, are you *that* Akechi?" Ren couldn't believe that he had been essentially best friends with the detective prince without even realizing it. The *only* media he'd bothered to pay attention to was an interview with Akechi, and he still failed to put two and two together. When he realized this, he both physically and mentally facepalmed.

"*chuckle* Yes, I am '*that* Akechi'." Akechi air-quoted. "Though I'll admit, I am surprised that you didn't figure it out before. And, not to mention, I didn't think I'd ever see you lose your composure to this extent. Now, I wonder, who is truly falling for who?" Akechi didn't miss a beat as he said this.

"..." All Ren could do is stare with a dumb expression as he processed everything on top of Akechi backhanding him with his own joke. "...Okay, first of all, I hate that you were able to use my own joke against me, second of all... just, wow. That's kind of a bombshell for me."

"*chuckle* Thank you. I am quite flattered." With an 'ugh...' from Ren, Akechi continued. "Though, I certainly don't blame you for this reaction. I believe anyone would have a similar reaction to finding out that they talked to a celebrity."

"Don't give yourself too much credit, Mr. Detective." Ren had regained that playful smirk of his. They both laugh for a moment.

"Actually, while we are on the topic, I meant to tell you something," Akechi said, returning to his neutral tone.

"Oh? Are you finally confessing your true feelings? This is so sudden--I don't know what to say!" Ren dramatically teased. Akechi deadpanned once again. "Okay, okay, I'll stop. Continue."

"As I was saying, I won't be coming here for a while. This next few weeks are going to be fairly busy." Akechi had a look that just screamed that he wasn't looking forward to it. Ren sympathized.

"Oh, well that sucks."

"Indeed it does. But I cannot let personal bias affect my work." Akechi looked at his watch and then began to step down from the barstool. "It seems that it has grown quite late. I must be going now." Before Akechi could make it to the door, though, Ren had one final thing to say.

"I certainly won't ever forget about you, my dear!~ I will wait here forever and ever until you return to me!~" Ren bowed in the most dramatic way, ending his ridiculous act with a suggestive wink. As per usual, Akechi deadpanned and questioned his life choices.

"Oh, dear. It seems my work has now suddenly prevented me from ever returning here again. It's a shame really, but I can't argue with my work. Goodbye now." Akechi began unceremoniously rushing to get outside the cafe, before rushing down the back alley. It was quite out of character, really, and Ren wouldn't ever let him live it down. It was a rare sight to ever see Akechi lose his composure, let alone to this extent. 

"...Are you done?" Sojiro asked from within Leblanc's kitchen. In all honesty, Ren forgot Sojiro was there. He'd definitely gotten a bit too absorbed in the moment.

"*laughs* Yeah, yeah. I'm done." Ren was still chuckling to himself, which caused Sojiro to start chuckling as well.

"*chuckle* You do realize how ridiculous you look whenever you start acting like that, right?"

"Kinda the point." Ren shrugged.

"Ah well. I gotta get home. Lock up for me, okay?"

"Got it."

The last few days before the clean-up were very much uneventful. Nothing happened at school, which was kinda surprising, after school he had nothing to do, so he just killed time in Shibuya, and then ended his day by going to the bathhouse.

* * *

Finally, the day of the clean-up was upon him, and he was really not looking forward to it. Despite this, Ren got out of bed, and followed his usual morning routine, with the exception of his uniform. Instead of his normal school uniform, he puts on his gym uniform because he felt like it would've been a little redundant to put on his normal uniform, only to change out of it not even an hour later. Once he was ready, he heads downstairs.

Sojiro is in the little kitchen area making curry, like normal. Once he sees Ren, he looks over, only to do a double-take once he saw what Ren was wearing.

"What's with the costume change?" He asks.

"The clean-up is today. We were instructed to wear our gym uniforms while there, and it would've been tedious to go there in my normal outfit only to change."

"Fair enough, I guess." Sojiro sets the plate of curry on the table. 

The rest of the morning played out like normal. Ren finished his food, thanked Sojiro, and then left for school, although he wasn't actually going to Shujin Academy today. Surprisingly, Ren didn't get too much unwanted attention for his attire, not that he would've cared regardless. All was pretty much normal by his new life's standards, which, needless to say, were pretty low. Then, as the pattern usually goes, something broke the normalcy.

"Sorry, but I'm in a bit of a hurry." He heard a girl's voice say. He looked over to see the student called Yoshizawa with a middle-aged man. 

_"Wow, *that's* totally not an obvious red flag."_ He thought.

"You go to Shujin, right? I heard things have been rough there lately, what with that violent incident. You wanna go talk about it somewhere?" The man asked with a very-much-not-subtle creepy tone. No doubt about it. This guy was trouble. As Ren started to move over there, though, Yoshizawa seemingly gained control of the situation for a second.

"Thank you for your concern." She started, with a tone that obviously sent the message 'back off'. "However, I really am in a hurry, so if you'd excuse me..." She bows and then starts to walk off, only to get grabbed by the wrist. "...Ah!"

"C'mon, there's no need to be shy." The middle-aged creep said, again with that creepy tone of voice.

"Like I said..." Her voice began to crack. It was clear she was starting to panic, understandably.

"If you're busy, I'll put my number in your phone so you can call me later. Sound like a plan?" The man was way too persistent. 

_"No way in hell am I overlooking this."_ After thinking about it for a second, he started speed-walking over to the two of them with a plan in mind. He didn't want to draw too much negative attention to himself, so he'd improvise a bit.

"Hey, Yoshizawa!" He called out as he neared them. Both looked towards him.

"What do you want?" The man asked bitterly.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I didn't make you wait long, did I?" 

"Huh-?" After realizing what he was trying to do, Yoshizawa started following his lead. "O-oh... N-no, you didn't!" 

"Don't get worked up. I'm just being friendly here." The man loosened his grip momentarily, which she did not hesitate to use to escape his grasp, and then hide behind Ren. "Oh, what the..." He stuttered. "What're you getting so jumpy about? Like you're anything special!" He sputtered, then walked off.

"Tch. I can't stand people like that." Ren said bitterly, before calming his demeanor and looking towards Yoshizawa. They made eye contact, and after a second, she realized she was still clinging to him and backed up.

"Thank you so much! I'm sorry for the trouble!" She bowed. 

"No problem. Are you okay? That guy seemed like he was hassling you."

"Yes, I'm fine now!" She seemed to regain that happy look on her face that he recognized from their prior meeting. "It was pretty scary, though..."

"I can imagine."

"..." She looked like she wanted to say something. "Ah- Um... May I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"So... what made you step in to help me?" It seemed genuine enough.

"Like I said, I can't stand people that do stuff like that. I.. really can't look the other way whenever I see something like that happening, even if nobody wants me on their side normally." He sweatdrop-smiled towards the end.

"I... see." She seemed lost in thought for a moment. "Well, I apologize for asking something so strange. You're headed to the cleanup as well, right?" She paused. "...The cleanup...?" Pulling out her phone, she then says, in a mildly panicked voice, "*gasp* Look at the time! I'm so sorry, I haven't even thanked you properly yet! Oh no! I forgot my gym clothes at school! I'll see you at the cleanup, soon. We can talk more then, if you'd like." She then begins to walk off, before turning around once again, bowing, and saying, "Pardon me!" and then continues to walk off.

"..." Ren didn't know what to say, really. That conversation had taken so many twists and turns, he almost couldn't keep up. Realizing that he was staring, he quickly started walking in his own direction. He didn't want to be late for the cleanup.

When he arrived, he knew the universe was screwing with him. Who better to see, other than two of the Phantom Thieves: Takamaki and Sakamoto. They seemed to be having a conversation about whether or not it was normal to just show up in the gym attire.

 _"I swear this is some overused plot device..."_ Ren thought to himself. Then he noticed Mishima walk into the group, basically inserting himself into the conversation. 

"It's such a nice day out that even the weather seems to be mocking us." He said.

"Dude, could you try pushin' your way into our conversation a little less awkwardly next time?" Sakamoto asked the boy, a sentiment even Ren couldn't disagree with. Although, it was interesting to see Mishima interacting with the thieves.

 _"Maybe he's working with them too?"_ Ren once again thought to himself. It would make sense, seeing as he was a literal walking bruise before Kamoshida confessed. But for a moment, seeing Mishima triggered something in his mind. It wasn't a spark of pain, or anything of that sort, but for whatever reason, he pictured the doors to the school roof, but it was like his memory was blurred. _"Weird."_ Ren thought, then went on his way.

"Good morning, Shujin Academy students and staff..." He heard a girl's voice talking through a megaphone. Looking over to the source, he found it was Makoto. "Please pick up all trash located in the areas assigned to your group. Once the cleanup is completed, a lunch of miso soup with pork and vegetables will be served." After pausing for a moment to let everyone digest the information, she added, "Now that those announcements have been made, please break into your groups and head to your assigned areas."

 _"So we've already been assigned groups. Looovely..."_ Ren mentally dragged out. 

The cleanup was actually going decent for a while, but Ren knew not to hold his breath. Then, the moment he was expecting began. While he was just minding his own business (and actually picking up trash, unlike other members in his group), he heard the third year male, who also happened to be the leader of their group, start speaking the magic words.

"Hey, that guy- yeah him. Is he... *that* transfer student?"

"Yeah..."

 _"One day... Just one day..."_ Ren internally pleaded. As much as he didn't let it bother him, there was a limit to how much he could take.

"You mean the one in all the crazy rumors?"

"Keep it down! What if he hears us!?" Ren took this as his queue. If he was going to have to take this, he was at least gonna have some fun with it.

"Oh, yes. It would be a damn shame if the student that is no more than 10 feet away from you hears you blatantly gossiping about them." The three of them froze. Ren turned and faced them with his pseudo-friendly smile. "And yes, Senpai, I am *that* transfer student. The one in all of the crazy rumors, and the one that had a change of heart from the Phantom Thieves."

"....." All three of them just stood there with looks of absolute horror. 

"And, next time, if you have a question about me, please feel free to ask me directly." He opened his eyes towards the end of that last part, to add emphasis to his point. It seemed they got the message, as all three of them silently went back to picking up trash. Ren did the same. In all honesty, Ren was giddy for the rest of his cleaning spree. The looks on their faces when they realized just how badly they screwed up was priceless enough to maintain his spirits. There was the minor possibility that they would report him for 'threatening them', but Ren chose not to care about that for now - he'd just be more careful next time. Because he knew there would always be a 'next time'.

"The cleanup is officially complete. Thank you for your hard work, everyone. Would the leader of each group please come and get the soup for their teams?" Makoto announced. After his group heard this, the three other members looked towards him, and then immediately looked away in a more-than-awkward fashion. Ren silently chuckled. The third-year group leader then began to speak - to the other members, at least.

"So, after the soup's doled out, everyone's free to do whatever they want. Including getting the hell out of here."

"Oh, okay."

"Thank you for everything."

All three of them were awkwardly trying to ignore the fact that Ren was watching them. Maybe he'd maybe gone a bit too far. Oops! This was proven when all three of them essentially bolted once they had received their soup. Even further, when the third-year leader was visibly reluctant to go near Ren, causing him to have to get his soup from the boy himself.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm perfectly capable of getting it myself, thank you." He said with a sarcastic tone behind that pseudo-smile of his. The third-year flinched, turned around, and Ren could've sword he'd seen a dust silhouette of the student with how fast he took off. That left Ren by himself on the bench. Not that he minded, of course. But then, the girl from before, Yoshizawa, walked up to him.

"Oh! I've finally found you." She greeted with a smile. "I was trying to find you so I could thank you properly for this morning."

"It's no problem. You needed help, so I stepped in."

"So... Where'd the other people in your group go?" Her face dropped a little.

"Well, after finding out that I was '*that* transfer student'," Ren air-quoted, "And that I'd heard them gossiping about me not even 10 feet away, they basically ditched me." Ren shrugged. "Nothing new for me, really."

"Ah... I see. I'm in pretty much the same situation. If it's all right with you, why don't we eat our soup together?" Yoshizawa regained her smile.

"Oh... Sure, that's fine." This was the first time someone approached him and didn't assume something ridiculous.

"Great!" She sits down. "Thanks for the food! I want to thank you again for this morning. That man was even more frightening than he might have appeared to you... So I truly appreciate what you did for me! Thank you so much."

"No problem. It just sucks what things like that happen." 

"Yes, I agree." Once again, her face fell. "There's one more issue I need to adress..."

"Oh? What is it?" 

"I'm also so sorry for what happened the other day!"

"Other day...?" He thought for a moment.

"The run-in we had outside of the guidance office."

When she said that, he remembered what she was talking about.

"Oh! The delinquent transfer student...?"

"Mr. Kamoshida had just told me about you a moment prior, so I sort of spoke wihtout thinking there... I heard some of my classmates gossiping about you, too."

"...I see." Ren wasn't upset. "Well, rumors about me aren't exactly new."

"Honestly, I don't like gossip or rumors and the like... And I know this'll sound strange since I just met you, but you don't seem like the person they describe. It'd be a different story if all those rumors were actually true, though. What were all the crimes I'd heard? Burglary, murder, and elephant tusk trafficking, was it?" 

_"Yikes."_ Was all Ren could think in that moment. Not even a second later, Ren added, "And smuggling drugs, possession of weapons, underage drinking... Oh, and apparently having a change of heart, breaking down in the middle of some unnamed public area, turning myself in to the police, all before being released on a lack of evidence despite confession. I've really been around, huh?" Ren joked.

"*giggle* Even I can tell you're joking. Hm? You know what, it just hit me - I haven't introduced myself yet!"

"Ren Amamiya, second year." He greeted.

"Oh, I'm sorry to make you go first, Senpai. Actually, there's no need for you to be so polite - I am an underclassman, after all. I believe you already figured out from our meeting at school that my last name is-" Suddenly she cut herself off, leaped into the air, caught a balloon, and then gracefully landed with a flip.

 _"Woah..."_ To say Ren was surprised would be an understatement. _"What the hell even was that?"_ Before he was able to get up to follow her, he noticed that she'd dropped something on the ground. Picking it up, he realized it was a Shujin Academy pocketbook. 'Kasumi Yoshizawa' was her name, apparently.

"Got it just in time. Here you are. Don't let go of things you like, okay?" The little girl she gave the balloon nodded, thanked Kasumi, and then left. Afterward, she walked back over to Ren. "Sorry, I didn't mean to run out on you like that."

"No problem, 'Kasumi Yoshizawa'. Oh, you dropped this by the way." He handed her the pocketbook.

"Huh? *giggle* I guess you sleuthed me out before I got to tell you. Well, you've cracked the case - I'm Kasumi Yoshizawa, a first-year!"

"By the way, that was impressive. Are you an athlete?"

"Figured that out too, huh? Well, yes. I compete in gymnastics. It's not that difficult once you get the hang of it - just a hop, skip, and a jump."

"I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure it's a little bit more than 'a hop, skip and a jump'" Ren teased. Kasumi giggled. Thinking about it more, this could be a rare opportunity to make a new friend. Without hesitating, he decided to ask, "It might sound random, but maybe you could show me some of the things you know?"

"Oh! Does that mean you're interested in gymnastics?"

"Well, I've never really done anything athletic, but it never hurts to try new things, so why not?"

"That makes me so happy! I'd be honored if you'd allow me! The only problem is... I have a favor to ask for myself as well - if you wouldn't mind..."

"Ask away." 

"Lately, I haven't been getting the results I want from my performances, and I'm worried that I'm overthinking things... So it would be wonderful if you could give me some advice whenever you have the time."

"You want my advice? I mean, if that's what you want, then sure. Can't exactly promise that I'll be much help, though."

"Thank you! I'd love if you were willing to lend me an ear from time to time."

"Sure. Hope I'm helpful to you."

"Let's both do our best!" Kasumi exclaimed. "Oh, why don't we exchange contact information? Hm? It shut down... Sorry, my smartphone's been acting up lately."

"It happens. Don't sweat it."

"Ha, it's back! Okay, I'll contact you when I've got free time, if that's fine!" After trading contact info, another announcement from Makoto began.

"Attention Shujin Academy students: The cleanup event will be ending momentarily. Please do not discard your trash in the bins here. Instead, bring your waste to the predetermined location for disposal. After that, we will be officially releasing everyone for the day. Thank you for all your hard work."

"Well, the cleanup seems to be finished. We're already in our gym clothes - would you care for some basic training before heading home?"

"Sure. I don't have anything planned."

"Let's start with some core exercises! Those are the foundation for staying in shape."

"Fine with me."

"Great!"

With that, they began training. What was only supposed to last a little while, though, nearly turned into the rest of the afternoon.

"Oh my, look at the time! I'm sorry, I completely lost track of time! Maybe we should stop here for today."

"*laugh* It's fine. I gotta say, though, that was a bit tough."

"It may take some time to get in shape. Just keep working at it and I'm sure you'll make it in no time!" Kasumi cheered.

"Thanks. Anyways, I'm gonna go. I don't want my guardian to worry."

"Okay! See you later Senpai!" 

After departing, Ren briefly returned to Leblanc for a change of clothes, went to the bathhouse, and then went straight to bed. He didn't realize just how much that training had taken out of him.


End file.
